Legends, Lies, and Life
by Wolf no naku koro ni
Summary: Sequel to 800 Legends of Life. Ame and the others are back! They're growing up, meaning more weapons, more powers, and more (minor) characters! They will face new trials and tribulations, but there is nothing they can't handle as long as they remain true to each other, right? Right? Learn the legend behind Ame's Lie and uncover more as they battle an old enemy once more...
1. Chapter 1

** I'm probably sentencing myself to death uploading this early, but I was in a good mood and I've been trying to become more daring as I become an adult. So, hello again and welcome! This is my second (and possibly last heheh) instalment in the series of Eight Hundred Legends. For those who are new, this is something of a crossover between the videogame Okami and Soul Eater. Yes, Amaterasu is based off of the wolf goddess herself from the adventure RPG. However, although there are a lot of similarities, I just had to change too much from the Okami universe in order to combine it with Soul Eater that it lacked the ability to qualify as an actual crossover.**

** Now, without any further ado, close your worldly eyes and let's enter our next dream, shall we? **

_A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body_.

That was taught at the Death Weapon Meister Academy since its founding by Lord Death after the rise of Asura. Asura was not always evil; as Lord Death's son, he would have become the next grim reaper, had fate not toyed with him so. Our story actually begins with the grim reaper's opposite, the goddess of life, or Inochigami, as she was respectively called. Asura loved the seventh incarnation of Life, Yuki no Konata. Even though there were countless differences that kept them apart. Inochigami were gods descended from wolves, and Shinigami were descended from humans. That's just how things were. But that didn't stop him from loving her so.

Until his eighteenth year when Yuki was killed by the witch Arachne, who was forging demon weapons out of madness and magic. In his grief, Asura took Yuki's left eye, the only thing left of her, and put it in his own forehead. This caused Madness to consume him, and he became a Kishin. Yuki's mother Ikiru, the present Inochigami, took guilt in Asura's actions and decided that, being the embodiment of madness herself, she had to leave for the better interest of the world. She was gone for 800 years. Until her daughter, Amaterasu, breached the barrier between Life, Death, and Time itself, in order to pursue the one she loved.

Who was none other than Death the Kid. Great.

Prologue; The Way Thing Are, and How They're Going to Be?

It was a nice warm day in Death City. Things were finally coming together after the defeat of the Demon Lord, a formidable enemy that proved to be worse than Asura. Young heroes Kid, Maka, Blackstar, and their weapon partners were all regaining their sense of everyday normalcy with their good friend, Inochigami Amaterasu.

"Hey, Ame!" Blackstar called, holding up a Frisbee to show the white-haired girl. "Wanna play fetch?"

Ame kicked him in the gut forcefully before sitting down next to her favorite people. As a goddess of innocence, she was portrayed as a child. She was short enough that most people that saw her with Kid either thought Kid had a little sister or had a Lolita complex. Even though she was small for her age, she did pack a punch, particularly right now with Blackstar lying unconscious on the ground.

"I'm not a dog. I'm a wolf, and I have pride, you know?" Ame said, irritated.

"Mei-Mei," Kid addressed her softly, using the nickname he'd made out for her. Ame gave him her full attention, like the suck-up she is. "Wanna play catch?"

"Sure!" Ame squealed, her black-tipped white wolf tail wagging behind her, blood running from her nose. She was rather… masculine? More like insane. As soon as Kid threw the flying disk, Ame charged after it in the form of a white wolf with red markings on her fur. She usually had a flaming shield on her back; she'd use this as a weapon, and it was called 'Divine Instrument Solar Flare.' She didn't have it now, of course. She could summon her power from the Celestial Plain, the divine other realm regarded like heaven, when she was in battle.

"She's playing favorites again," the others thought. Kid couldn't help but grin smugly. Kid had always been Ame's favorite. And her least favorite. Throughout the two years that Kid had known her, with one of those years being spent in the same house, he had been kissed, beaten, almost killed, and utterly mortified by her on almost a daily basis. But, he wasn't the victim. He kind of deserved it.

Ame sat in front of Kid in her human form with the disk in her mouth, her tail wagging behind her. The others laughed for a moment. Kid looked at her eyes for a moment, remembering a time when he would mindlessly cringe from their asymmetry. The right orb was golden, like his, whilst the other was a mysterious green. Lord Death called her left eye a gem; she was the first Inochigami to have mismatching eyes, and Ame's right eye gave her powers beyond those of her predecessors. Kid took the Frisbee from her and rubbed her forehead as a reward. How much you wanna bet that little twerp had bribed her from the very beginning? Ame turned bright red and looked away.

"Aw, what's the matter, Ame?" Soul laughed. "Don't like it when we're all watching?"

"Don't be creepy, Soul," Maka elbowed him in the ribs with a smirk. Ever since Ame and Kid had started getting awkwardly touchy with each other (possibly even before that when Ame mistook Kid's kindness towards her for a marriage proposal), the others' main hobby was teasing them about it.

"Kid, uh…" Ame mumbled quietly, fiddling with her fingers nervously—a trait that she shared with Kid's father. "I feel weird when you pet me, almost like my mother is frowning down on us."

Soul and Blackstar burst out laughing, whilst Kid tried not to be depressed.

"Shut up and get the disc," he mumbled, throwing the Frisbee one more time for her.

"So, Kid, you and Ame dating yet?" Soul asked as Ame ran after the toy.

"Have we been on any dates?" Kid demanded, rather annoyed at his friends' constant nagging comments about his and Ame's quasi relationship.

"Come on, dude, it's not cool to draw it out like this. I mean, you're both fifteen now, it's time to come out of the closet. Have some fun."

"Why, I never!"

"Sorry to say, but Soul's right," Maka said, absentmindedly taking a sip of her iced tea.

"I propose when you and Soul kiss," Kid stated plainly.

"Hmm… Soul, let's kiss," Maka proposed after a moment of thought.

"Sure."

"…Are you two serious right now?" Kid asked.

"My meister has made a decision, Kid," Soul shrugged. "I mean, we've been partners for two or three years now. And I don't think Maka could do any better if I didn't date her."

"Maka Chop!" Maka snapped.

"BLACKSTAR WILL NEVER BE TIED DOWN!"

"MAKA CHOP!"

As it was supposed to be, Blackstar was now unconscious.

"I guess everyone's starting to grow up around here," Kid let out a small laugh. "I never thought I'd be the one left in the dust. You see, I already had _two_ beautiful girls as my partners."

"Cut that out, Kid, I already have a boyfriend," Liz snapped, blushing slightly. She was referring to Ame's adopted wolf brother Nagi. They had officially started dating right after the battle with the Demon Lord Ninetails, a few months ago. "Besides, if you tried to date me, I swear I will kill myself."

"Don't you think that's kind of harsh, sis?" Patti laughed. She was playing with Ame's other brother, Rin. Nagi and Rin seemed to parallel Liz and Patti respectively. They had been adopted by Ikiru and granted the gift of immortality since Ame was supposed to stay away from the humans and even Kid.

"Don't laugh when your sister's considering suicide, please," Kid mumbled.

"I mean, didn't you kind of like him before Ame came along?" Patti continued.

Liz blushed even more. "Yeah, right! That was before I really knew him. Now he'll just drive me crazy with his symmetry rants."

"Oh, that made me realize," Tsubaki piped up. She turned to Kid. "You actually haven't ranted for quite a while. Do you think your OCD is getting better?"

"I guess I've had to gain some tolerance for asymmetrical manifestations, like Ame herself, since symmetry can't be without asymmetry. But honestly, I've been too tired lately, after that battle with Ninetails."

"I thought your injuries were healed by now," Tsubaki tilted her head and lowered her voice slightly in confusion.

"Physically, yes," Kid said shortly. "But that's just not all there is to it."

This left the group in momentary silence. Maka, Soul, Blackstar, Tsubaki, even Liz and Patti, had been stuck in the Death Room when Kid and Ame faced Ninetails. They could do nothing for their friends but watch from the mirror. It was a fierce battle of the gods. Ame had summoned all thirteen gods of the Chinese Zodiac which held her divine power in the Celestial Plain. They were forced to return to the Celestial Plain mid-battle because of the injuries they'd sustained, and after the guardian of the sun Inugami betrayed Amaterasu, Kid and Ame almost died. It's been a few months, but they were still… scarred, in a way.

"I'm with the octopus," Ame spoke up suddenly from where she'd been sitting next to Kid. The others jumped. They hadn't seen her there.

"When did you get here?!" Kid demanded. "And what do you mean 'octopus'?"

Soul Eater

Later that evening, Ame was sitting on the edge of Kid's bed reading some manga. She sometimes hung out in Kid's room before she went to sleep in her own bed. Ame read in silence for a while, until she closed the novel and set it down on the bed beside her. Kid, who was doing some homework on his usual spot on the bed, looked up at her and lowered his pencil. She was being awfully quiet tonight.

"Ame?" he murmured quietly. Ame didn't look at him. He set his homework aside and inched closer to her. He wrapped his hands around hers, again reminded of how small her hand really was. Ame leaned back on him.

"I'm scared," she whispered. She usually didn't show this side of herself around anyone other than Kid. It was something she'd learned from Lord Death; just hide your fear because people look up to you! "We defeated Arachne and Ninetails. We went on the greatest adventures over the past two years. Now it feels as if… there's something coming. Kid, I don't want to lose anything."

"Without loss, there can't be anything to gain," Kid said. "It all happens in equivalent exchange, in balance. You have to accept the bad things."

"… Okay," Ame nodded once. "I… I had a dream a while ago. It was about you and me, and no one else. We were married. And we… we had a daughter."

Kid straightened, his eyes widening a bit. Ame smiled softly.

"Her name was Ushio, for 'ocean tide.' We always told her, 'You're like the tide; you can go anywhere.' I don't want a baby, Kid. Not right now. But I still want to be with you. I want us to always be with each other like Liz and Nagi."

"We will be," Kid said. Ame turned her head slightly to look at him. She gazed peacefully into his golden eyes as he continued. "Ame, we've been through so much already, and I never really asked you this before. Um… what do you think about… us getting married some day?"

Ame pulled away from him, blood running from her nose. "A-a-are you serious right now?"

"Amaterasu," Kid knelt in front of her and took both of her small hands together. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Ame smiled at him and leapt up to hug him happily.

Meanwhile, Liz, Patti, Nagi, and Rin were all in the hallway… spying.

"I think he proposed!" Liz exclaimed, whipping her cellphone out of her pocket and sending a text message to _nearly_ everyone in her contact list (the other people in her contact list were either old boyfriends or dead now.).

Maka looked up as her phone vibrated on her desk beside her. She flipped it open and read the message Liz had sent her. She almost dropped the book she had been reading. She stood up so quickly that her swivel chair crashed to the ground. She ran to the hallway.

"Soul!" she called. Soul was already standing right in front of her doorway. "You got it too?"

"Yeah," Soul nodded. He looked just as shocked as she did for a moment. They suddenly began laughing, more in unfathomable triumph than finding the situation funny. Soul threw his arms around Maka and spun her in a small circle.

"It's about time," Blair sighed, walking around the corner in her cat form. "Now who will play with me?"

"Blair! Kid and Ame have started dating!"

"What?! Ame asked Kid out all by herself?" Blair questioned.

"No, Kid finally had the guts to ask her!" Maka exclaimed happily.

"He did the right thing," Soul said. "Which reminds me, Maka, would you do me the honor of becoming my significant other, stage one?"

"Are you serious right now?" Maka asked quietly, blushing slightly. He gave her a toothy grin and she nodded once. "I'd be happy to, Soul."

Kid finally pulled away from Ame as his phone began vibrating. He felt kind of guilty about prioritizing his cellphone like this, but Ame didn't seem to mind. She was just too stupid to understand how to be angry at him for something like that.

"Huh, it's a text message," he mumbled to himself as he began reading. "_You're a lucky guy, just make sure that you treat her right_. What the actual heck?"

His phone beeped one last time as he received another text message. Ame peeked over his shoulder and began reading out loud.

"_I hope you and Ame have a lot of fun in your new relationship. Just don't get carried away because Ikiru is always watching you do it in the bedroom_…?"

"STOP READING THAT RIGHT NOW!" Kid shouted, slamming his phone shut and blushing profusely. "How did they all find out so quickly?"

He raised his head and turned around when he saw the mirror in his room start to glow.

"Oh please, god, no," he begged.

"Hi, Kiddo!"

"Hello, Father, what are you doing calling at this hour?" Kid smiled nervously, praying that his father wouldn't say or do anything to embarrass him. Don't worry, if he just played it cool, it'll all be fine.

"Well, I heard the news, and I'm very proud of you, son! I almost can't believe you actually asked her out. I mean, not that she's not your type, but she is a little…."

"Um, Dad, she's standing right here," Kid said, pulling Ame close enough that she was in view of the mirror.

"Hi, Lord Death," Ame waved at him. Lord Death decided to move on without finishing his sentence.

"Uh, as I was saying, I just hope that your relationship ends up better than that last one."

"Last one?" Ame asked curiously.

"Don't bring that up yet, Dad," Kid mumbled under his breath.

"I want to hear about this last relationship of yours!" Ame said, holding Kid's arm and glaring at him. Kid recognized that look as the I'm-your-girlfriend-so-don't-refuse-me look. Where the hell did she even learn that look?

"Later, okay?" Kid said firmly. He turned back to Lord Death. "How did everyone find out all of a sudden?"

"Oh, Liz just instant messaged everyone! Spirit here just got it."

"Congratulations, you guys!"

Kid was already running down the hallway.

"Elizabeth!"

** Hello, my lovely readers and writers, it's When the Wolf is no More, back and ready to write! I didn't expect this chapter to be this long; most chapters I write are only about two thousand words. However, since this one is a sequel of a very long fanfiction, I put in a lot of exposition for any new readers. You can all ask in the reviews if there's something that I missed or that you don't understand, just ask away! **

** Anyway, I will attempt to upload again soon. I have at least thirty documents, but most of them are scattered around without being in order; I just picked up one day and began writing again. Also, new laptop! So I can write all I want! So, I hope you all are doing well, and I shall see you in the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

_She felt her arms reach up like she had no control of them. She was nothing more than his puppet now. Her head rolled to the side as she began to dance slowly. _

_ Dance, kitty, dance. _

_ Good Kity._

The next day at school, Kid was greeted by his friends giving him a congratulatory tackle. They were on all sides of him, trapping him in some sort of group hug. This did agitate Kid, but it seemed that that was their intent.

"Congrats on finally asking Ame out!" Blackstar yelled. "I knew you were never such as big a man as me; I would have asked someone like Ame out the first time I saw her!"

"Get off," Kid complained, but made no move to stop them.

"Aw, come on, Kid, be cool," Soul said. "I didn't officially asked Maka out until I got your text, so technically you beat me too."

"So where are you two going on your first date?" Tsubaki asked.

"Our first… crap," Kid sighed. "I didn't think about any of that."

He squirmed out from underneath them and put his left hand over his face in exasperation. While he was thinking, the others noticed something on his hand that made them gasp. It was a little band of silver metal curled around his third finger.

"You got her a ring?!" Soul demanded.

"Dude, who even does that anymore?" Liz asked.

"It is kind of old-fashioned to have a couples ring," Maka agreed.

"I did it for her and no one else," Kid explained calmly, turning away from them. "Come on. We don't want to be late again."

"Oh, man," Liz groaned. "School is just the worst sometimes. When do we get out for summer?"

"Just a little longer," Kid replied as if had told her a thousand times already. "Be thankful this is America."

Their first class of the day was something that Lord Death had added soon after the Demon Lord posed a real threat to the world. It was composed of teachings from an old book that held a record of godly history. The class was taught by Sayo Harumi, a woman who had been consumed by Ninetails. Ame had revived her and she returned to the academy to teach. Although she usually taught the class on her own, Ame was with her today, holding a couple of books and wearing a pair of glasses.

"I wonder what she's doing here," Kid thought idly to himself as he began taking notes.

"Okay, forget these stupid things," Ame muttered, taking off the glasses with her left hand. Kid immediately caught what she was doing, and looked down. She was deliberately showing off the ring.

"Who got her the ring?" a student sitting in front of Kid asked. He turned around. "Hey, Kid, I think Ame's dating someone."

"Will you shut up?!" Kid demanded.

Lover's First Date; One-Sided Refrain?

When Ame got home, she did what she normally did around the house. Be lazy. Okay, she wasn't that lazy. She did go out on a hunt with her wolf brothers and used the meat they'd caught to make a meal for everyone. Ever since Nagi and Rin moved in to Gallows manner, the six of them were able to rotate chores and meals fairly well; everyone could kind of do whatever they wanted as long as they pitched in every once in a while. But Ame thought about it; it seemed that now that she was Kid's girlfriend, she felt obliged to clean and cook for him. It was all just little nothings she mused about until she finally heard Kid return.

"Ame, we're home!" he called. Without receiving a reply, he leisurely hung his jacket up in the coat closet and wandered into the kitchen. He saw Ame sitting on the counter, gripping the edge of the granite as if she would fall if she didn't. Kid grinned. This was a game they started playing a few weeks ago. It was training, in a way, for Ame. Whenever Kid got home, Ame would stop whatever she was doing immediately and wait for him. When he did, she had to stay until he said so.

"Wait," he said. Ame pouted at him. He was really starting to take advantage of this. He laughed. "I'm only kidding. Come here."

Ame leapt off the counter and hugged him tightly. Kid wasn't sure why she was so clingy with him; she saw him every day. She even got to come to school with him today.

"How was the rest of your day?" she asked after she released him and went back to cooking.

"Fine," he replied. "What about you, Ame?"

"It was fine," Ame smiled at him. She moved over to the refrigerator and looked inside dismally. "I think I'm going to go shopping tomorrow. We're out of milk…. And I think I'm going to get some watermelon. It sure is getting hot out again."

Kid wasn't really listening, he just walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a half-hearted hug. She glared at him; girls have a way of knowing when boys aren't listening.

"How would you feel about going out on Friday, just the two of us?" he asked casually. "I'll take you to your favorite restaurant and I'll even buy you something nice if you want it."

"Where's this coming from?" she asked.

"I just want to spend some time with you. Alone."

"We're alone right now."

This girl didn't get the thing about dates. Kid would have struggled to find an excuse, had it not been for the loud crashing upstairs and the sound of Liz yelling at Rin.

"Get out of here, dog!" she yelled. "You're such a pervert!"

"Alone? Not hardly," Kid sighed, pulling away and heading upstairs to deal with whatever battle was being fought upstairs.

Ame closed the fridge and went back to cutting vegetables at the counter. She tried to refocus on what she was doing, but she just had this odd, uncomfortable feeling… like someone was staring at her. Once or twice, Ame peeked behind her to make sure no one was standing there. She'd been startled a couple times by Kid, who seemed to move about like a ghost sometimes. Ame glanced out the darkening window, then shifted her gaze to the mirror. Nobody. Nothing. Maybe she was just working too hard.

Soul Eater

Friday evening, Kid dressed in his best suit and waited patiently for Ame. He decided to sit down in the living room and watch some Walking Dead with Rin while he waited. He heard that girls usually take around an hour to get ready. After about one episode of pointless gore and stupid people dying, he heard someone walking down the stairs. He and Rin looked up.

Ame was standing at the foot of the staircase with her hands folded neatly in front of her. She was wearing a white dress; either she was aiming to be cute and simple or this was really all she had. You choose. The only thing that really stood out about her date night look was that she tied her hair up in two symmetrical pigtails. Rin got up and ran to give his sister a hug.

"You look great, sis!" he said. He pulled away. "Now, if Kid gets out of line, go for the throat and don't let go until the body stops shaking."

"I think we're fine," Kid smiled, sweat-dropping.

"Thanks for the tip!" Ame cheered. Kid deadpanned.

The restaurant they went to was a small Japanese grill and steakhouse in downtown Death City. Once they were seated, Ame decided to strike up a conversation.

"So, what do people do on dates?"

"You really are clueless," Kid chuckled. "Eat. Drink. Talk."

"Talk about what?" Ame had a feeling this was important.

"You know, you… me… _us_."

Ame started laughing. "You know that's not us! Come on, what should _we_ do?"

"Uhm…" Kid glanced at her rather uncomfortably. He hadn't been on a date since… before he even went to the academy. "Want to… see what's downtown?"

After eating, Ame and Kid walked around downtown and checked out anything that looked interesting.

"Hey, Kid, let's check out this store!" Ame suggested excitedly, pulling him towards a shop full of stuffed animals. Kid complied; he was with a girlfriend, no one would judge him. Ame zipped around the tables and kiosks overflowing with plushy stuffed toys. Kid watched her, laughing slightly.

"You know, I remember when I first got you that panda bear at the carnival, and you said cute things didn't suit you," he said, picking up one of the stuffed cats that was looking at him funny. "What did you decide to call that thing?"

"Juralumin!" Ame chimed.

"What kind of name is that?" Kid asked, turning to look at Ame. He stiffened. Ame was clutching a giant panda bear that was almost twice her size.

"Big Juralumin!" she chirped.

"I… can see that," Kid said, sweatdropping.

Ame didn't find anything that tickled her fancy in that store. Or she just didn't tell Kid. Afterwards, she dragged Kid around doing whatever looked fun, be it standing in the middle of a busy street and shouting "I am the star" or simply watching one of those black and white cat clocks in the window of a shop until it blinked (which it never did). In truth, Kid hadn't ever been on an outing quite like this. The last time he'd been on a date, it was, well, serious. He went out for dinner with the girl in his finest clothes, and then they went to her apartment. Alone.

Anyway, Ame's energy meter started going down a little after nine o'clock. She was calm again and actually started stumbling behind Kid a little bit.

"Want to go home yet?" he asked. Ame shook her head and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes stubbornly. "Come on, Ame. We can do this again some other time."

"Okay," Ame nodded. She leaned tiredly on Kid's arm as they headed home. "Kid?"

"Yes?"

"You know I had a really good time, right?"

"Yes. You seem to always enjoy yourself."

"Yeah. Just like I'm going to enjoy it when you tell me all about your last girlfriend…."

"!"

** Haha, a bit cliffy, but he and Ame actually get home without any more drama. Since the last chapter was such a doozy, I decided to put some more important stuff in the next couple of chapters. It's easier to remember when it's not all being shoved down your throat, right? Anyway… on with the**

** IMPORTANT INFORMATION**

** Okay, as you can see, there was a little italic thing at the beginning of the chapter. I am going to put a 'dream sequence' at the beginning of each arc, provided by a currently unknown source, as a bit of a prologue to the madness. It's similar to the dream sequence of horror and gore at the beginning of every fourth episode of Higurashi, in comparison.**

** Another thing I'd like to bring up is that this fic is rated T for a reason this time. Unlike the last one, which had mild cursing and some violence, as Kid and the others get older, they're exposed to more… stuff, if ya know what I mean. I'm not going to put any lemons in, calm down! There's just some innuendos and some hints and deeper psychological scars, but I don't think it will be much worse than the original Okami videogame.**

** And, finally, I hope you all enjoy this fic as much as I do. You do not know how much all your reviews and support mean to me; thank you so much. Now if you will, follow, favorite, and set it to default because I'm about to get to work :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Kid was able to avoid the subject of his 'previous relationship' for the entire weekend. That was enough time for him to get to school and get some time away from Ame, at least. She was so curious about it, probably because of how his father had worded it as 'ending badly.' Kid would have just called up a friend and asked to stay at their place for a while, but a weekend escape wouldn't have been near enough; he honestly didn't want to talk about it ever again. The only people who knew about it were his weapons and his father, and that's only because they were the only ones around to try and stop him back then. He should have listened to them. Stupid teenage rebellion!

Monday was the first day Kid didn't have to worry about it, but it was still on his mind. He felt bad about keeping it from Ame. Aren't boyfriends and girlfriends supposed to tell each other everything? Kid was so wrapped up in his own thoughts for once that he didn't pay attention to the lessons being taught. But two hours of gym classes passed, then it was time for lunch. Kid gathered his things together as Blackstar raced off to the cafeteria.

"That idiot," Soul sighed. "Doesn't he ever run out of energy?"

"You coming, Kid?" Liz asked rather impatiently.

"I think I'll eat alone today," Kid said. Liz narrowed her eyes.

"This isn't about _her_, is it?"

"Her?" Soul asked. He sighed and shook his head before putting a hand on Kid's shoulder. "Come on, Kid. I'll eat with you today."

"See you in class," Maka waved before leaving with the others.

Previous Relationships and New Faces; Want to Fight?

The two boys walked about two flights of stairs until they reached the fourth floor balcony. It was a good place to eat; it was secluded and it had a good view of the city. Kid and the others usually had lunch on the third floor balcony, which was larger and had more room for all of them, Ame included. However, since Ame was out of town today doing god-knows-what, they could just eat wherever they liked.

"So," Soul began as he sat down and unwrapped his lunch. "Did something happen on your date Friday?"

"No, we had a great time," Kid replied, grateful that Soul didn't jump right into the 'her' they were about to talk about. "But we hit a rough spot when Ame asked about a 'previous relationship' that father mentioned."

"You had a girl before Ame?" Soul asked in disbelief.

"Don't look so surprised about it," Kid scoffed. "It was a long time ago. I was on a mission and I ran into a girl. We started dating, that's all. She was actually the girl I was sent to kill, so you can imagine how it turned out. After I convinced Father to let her go, she stabbed me in the back and left me. However, now when I think about it, especially since I'm dating the purest creature on earth, I can't help but think about how she had her way with me."

Soul choked on his food. "You're not a virgin?!"

"Why are you so surprised to hear that?!"

"I don't know, I know you're mature, but you're so socially inept. I mean, you practically had 'virgin' tattooed on your forehead. But I still don't see the big deal. It's not like Ame will judge you or anything."

"That's what you think," Kid sighed. "I just don't want to disappoint her."

"Well, have you ever considered that maybe she already knows? What if she found out from somebody that did know? Like your dad or Liz? Patti wouldn't know any better than to tell her. That wouldn't look good, Kid. Admitting something like that is better than letting her find out for herself. In any kind of partnership, you have to be able to trust each other."

"You're completely right, Soul. I just don't know how to tell her."

Soul thought over this. Kid was always so eloquent when he spoke to anyone, usually. Ame somehow rendered that ability useless and created a much simpler form of speaking for him. It was noticeable after a while. I mean, he'd simply asked her 'Will you be my girlfriend?' Sweet and simple.

"Just tell her what you told me the next time she asks. She'll have questions, just be sure that you answer them truthfully, whether or not she understands."

"Thank you, Soul," Kid nodded.

Kid decided that he would tell Ame, but in private. As soon as they got home, he would send Liz and Patti out so he could be alone with Ame. School finished with little event and he was walking home with the girls, Nagi and Rin. He was perfectly confident with his answers. Until something happened.

Ame suddenly stopped walking, her ears perking up and her eyes scanning the perimeter.

"What is it, Ame?" Kid asked. He looked up as a beautiful flute song began playing on the breeze. A figure with long, blond hair wearing a scarlet kimono of sorts was perched on the roof of a nearby building. He was playing the flute and gazing directly at Ame. Ame gasped.

"So we meet again," the figure said, lowering the flute from his lips. He spoke in an oddly French accent. "Okami Amaterasu! Now that I have finally found you, you should know that you are a hard person to find. Are you a coward for evading me so?"

"Kid," Ame scoffed. "Take a hike."

"Will do," Kid said, walking away with Liz and Patti. This was her fight, and he could respect that.

"Need any help, sis?" Nagi asked.

"No, this is between me and him."

"Too bad," Rin shrugged and walked away. Ame shifted to her wolf form and turned to the figure once more, lowering herself into a fighting stance.

"I see you're ready to prove me wrong. Tres bien," the boy laughed. He lifted his flute. "Pillowtalk!" The flute suddenly transformed into a glowing sword. "Come at me!"

Soul Eater

Ame growled and lunged for the roof. The figure dodged her attack, landing on his feet delicately on the ground below.

"The way he moves is almost ethereal," Kid said. "Could he be one of the gods? No, that's impossible. His soul wavelength isn't as… pure."

Ame turned around, took her sword in her mouth, and charged at the stranger again. This time, he blocked skillfully, throwing a few hits as Ame's rhythm broke. Ame threw her head back, and the other was thrown back a few feet.

"He's good," Liz said. "Formidable, I mean. I wonder what he wants with Ame."

"It's been too long since I've tasted your power," he sighed, sheathing Pillowtalk. "Ma Cherie."

"Waka!" Ame exclaimed, shifting to human form and running towards him, this time in joy.

"Oh, it seems they know each other," Kid blinked. Ame embraced the stranger, whom she called Waka.

"It takes two to tango, ma Cherie," he said before he twirled her in a small circle. Kid deadpanned.

"Looks like you aren't the only one with a previous relationship," Liz giggled.

"This isn't funny, Liz!" Kid snapped, walking towards Ame and Waka as calmly as he could. "Ame, do you… know this guy?"

Waka looked up and pulled away from Ame. His eyes were an amazing sea-glassy green, just like Ame's left eye. He straightened, keeping one hand in Ame's. Kid noted that Waka was even taller than him, which made Ame look like a dwarf in comparison.

"Forgive me," he said. "I guess we could try a more traditional Western dance. Uhm, you there! Beautiful girl!"

"Me?" Liz pointed to herself unsurely.

"I think this man would like to square dance with us!"

A moment of awkward silence passed over the group. Kid turned to Ame with a reserved expression. Ame recognized that look; Kid was angry, just too polite to say so.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ame stated matter-of-factly, shaking her head once and folding her arms to rest her chin on her raised hand.

"Ame, would you like to introduce me to your friend?" he asked calmly.

"Yes, Waka, this is the son of Lord Death, Death the Kid, and Kid, this is the last member of the Moon Tribe, Waka."

"Enchante," Waka said with a bow.

_So this is Waka_, Kid thought. _Wait, he couldn't be the Waka from the battle of Orochi over a thousand years ago?_

Waka laughed, as if he knew what Kid was thinking. "I am merely a descendent of the first of the Moon Tribe to walk this earth, which makes Amaterasu and me cousins."

"We only see each other every once in a while. But we're like two peas in a pod, even if he is a hundred years older than me," Ame giggled.

"I see," Kid cleared his throat. He didn't say how much the situation bothered him. Ame had all the memories of the past Inochigami; the first Amaterasu was intimately involved with a member of the Moon Tribe. How was he sure that Ame didn't have feelings for Waka? "Forgive my rudeness. I see you two are very close."

"You must have some significant relationship with Amaterasu too, yes?" Waka turned to Ame for clarification. Ame held up her left hand and twirled her fingers.

"He's my fiancée," she whispered.

"Tres bien," Waka smirked. He put his hand on Ame's head for a moment. Kid hadn't noticed how fast Ame's tail was wagging. She was a little too happy to see him….

"Not jealous, are you, Kid?" Nagi taunted him.

"Shut up, you!" Kid finally snapped.

"All this time I thought you were gone," Ame said. "I thought you returned to the Celestial Plain."

"And miss a front seating for some of the best battles in history?"

"Wait, you were watching us fight?" Kid asked.

"I saw you battle the Demon Lord," Waka replied, examining his nails absentmindedly. "Quite a sloppy attempt, I'd say."

"Sloppy?!" Kid demanded. "And what do you mean 'attempt'? We destroyed that fox wench."

"Oi, you defeated Ninetails the Kitsune. However," Waka raised his flute to point at Kid's chest. "The Demon Lord still lives! He is like Death himself; whenever he dies, he is reincarnated. It's only a matter of time before he returns."

"He's right," Ame said grimly. "Even if we live peacefully for the rest of our lives, our children, or grandchildren, will soon have to rise up and face the Demon Lord again.

"That is what makes up the Holy Trinity," Waka said. "Life, Death, and the Demon Lord. However, with the world's top threats like the Spider Queen and Ninetails defeated, there are few bodies powerful enough to host such an evil force. You two did well in your few years."

"Thank you," Kid said, grateful that this idiot could finally find something nice to say.

"So, Waka, are you going to stick around?" Ame asked. Kid smirked. If Waka was worth anything, he would know that Ame was trying to guilt him into staying. Waka chuckled softly.

"I'm sorry, Ame, but I must move on. I promise one day I will bring you with me, but for now, you have to watch over Death City."

He rubbed between her ears again and Ame started to pout. Her eyes seem to say, quite simply, 'When are you going to fulfill that promise?'

"I must leave now," he said as he started to float on the breeze. Literally, who even does that anymore? "And so, adieu!"

"Good riddance," Kid scoffed. He looked up at Ame as Waka drifted out of sight.  
"Ame? Are you okay?"

"I miss him already," she said calmly. Kid put an arm around her, suddenly feeling guilty about rejoicing in Waka's departure.

"Come on," he said. "It's late. Let's go home. I'll order take-out tonight."

**Another chapter up. This is chapter three now, right? Wow. But I don't think this fic will be nearly as long as the last one. I just… felt like there was more do be done between Ame and Kid. I mean, he finally asked her out, you know? Anyway, tickle that review button if you feel so inclined and I'll see you later!**

** By the way, something I forgot to mention, Waka is a prophet, so he can see premonitions. Just like in the game, but I'm just clearing that up anyway. **


	4. Chapter 4

_ Before we begin, a prophecy for ma cherie._

_Don't go chasing shadows!_

Kid opened his eyes to be greeted with his dark room. He sighed and sat up in bed. It was rare that he would wake up in the middle of the night like this, but whenever he did, he was never able to get back to sleep. He decided he'd go downstairs for a while to see if it would calm him down enough to sleep again. He took the well-known route from his bedroom to the kitchen, but when he rounded the corner at the foot of the stairs and passed the living room, he noticed he wasn't the only one awake. Ame was sitting on the couch, watching one of those old pillow talk movies that no one really watched anymore.

The Past; Who's Relationships Are Buried Deeper?

Kid padded into the room and sat down next to her. She sighed, shifting her position so she could lean on him.

"Do you miss… your cousin?" Kid whispered.

"Yes," she nodded. "He was always like that. He'd show up just long enough for a battle and a prophecy before leaving again. Even though I've only seen him a few times in my body, I feel like I've lived a thousand lives with him. That's because he's the reincarnation of my mate. I miss him like I miss you when we aren't together. I can't live without him. So I told him to leave. I told him to never come near me."

Kid wasn't sure how he felt about this. Ame was a very decisive person; her black-and-white view of the world seemed to make things easy for him to teach her and learn from her. Either it was or it wasn't. In this case, she definitely did love him, but it definitely wasn't the right thing. And how did Waka feel about this? Is this why he avoided her so?

"I hate myself sometimes," Ame said quietly, calmly. Her voice held the ageless maturity and knowledge of a god that had lived and died so many times. "I try to be the great goddess that everybody remembers, but I truly act selfishly."

"But I love you," he said.

"I'm not the first," Ame stated, the corner of her lips twitching once as if she wanted to smile. "You've regained a sense of tolerance for women."

"That reminds me about your question." Ame looked up, but Kid stared straight ahead. He couldn't tell it like he'd told Soul earlier. He had to tell her the real story. "Settle down, okay? This is going to be a long story."

Ame folded her legs beneath her waited patiently for him to begin. Kid's voice was serious as he spoke to her.

"Ame, I used to have a girlfriend named Suki. I'd just paired up with Liz and Patti. I was sent on a top secret mission in New York to kill a woman who seduced humans and took their souls. Since I was so young at the time, my father thought I wouldn't have any problems with her, but… I admit I was probably the last person to send. On my first day there, I was in a café, gathering information after my long flight, when I saw her. Her skin was a beautiful ivory with a soft rose undertone. Her lips were rose red; her raven hair like woven silk, and her eyes… her eyes. Deep as the oceans and soft as liquid, her crimson orbs were something to get lost in."

Ame felt a little bad for herself; Kid seemed to find Suki a hundred times more desirable than Ame.

"I remember walking towards her, and asking her what her name was. Suki Sakura. It rolled off my tongue and comforted my mind; it was like a drug. Just like her. And pretty soon, I was addicted. I spent less and less time on the mission and more time with her. My father wasn't happy about that. He tried to get me to stop what I was doing, that it wasn't right. I never considered the immorality of it; I just thought about how much longer I could be with Suki if I delayed my completion in the mission."

"What happened to her?" Ame pressed when he didn't continue.

"Ame, we did things, okay?" he turned and stared her straight in the eye. He could tell that she knew exactly what he meant; she had eight generations of godly experience all in that one green eye of hers. Ame tried to hide her discomfort and shock.

"What kind of… things?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Ame. When humans love each other… they just lose control sometimes."

He couldn't look at her anymore. He was ashamed to admit all this to her, but he had to continue his story. She has to know what happened.

"After that, I found out what Suki really was. She was the Kishin; the girl I was sent there to kill. When I found out, I… I couldn't do it. I thought that she truly loved me, so… I called my father, told him what was going on. I told him to give Suki another chance—that she could do better. He accepted the trial, but when I got back to Suki's apartment, I knew I'd made the wrong choice."

Kid paused again, and this time, Ame didn't question him.

"Ame, she… I told her to stop. I just wanted to stop for a while, but she wouldn't. She kept going, farther than we'd ever gone before. I told her that I wasn't enjoying it anymore, but she didn't listen…. She didn't care. She never did. I saw her true nature. She was nothing more than a siren, calling me out to drown. Of course, I got to execute her personally later. I will never forget what my father said to me that day. 'You're a man now, son. You must deal with the consequences.'"

_Then why do I still feel like such a kid?_

Kid felt two small arms wrap around him gently. Ame pressed her lips to the top of Kid's hair in the exact center. Kid could see her soul expand and envelope his own, almost like a shield to protect him from his own thoughts and fears. Her soft tail curled around his waist.

"I forgive you," she whispered. "You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Kid relaxed, his eyes narrowing until they closed. He went limp in her arms.

Finally, solace.

Soul Eater

The next morning, Kid woke up on the couch with two blankets draped over him. He got up tiredly, putting the blankets back where they belonged and such, before walking into the kitchen to see what was for breakfast.

"Hey, Ame, I'm up…."

"And then I bit his head and told him to mind his own business because I'm a girl and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…."

Kid's eyes widened. He was fully awake now. Why was she talking a million miles a minute this early in the morning?! Sure enough, Waka was sitting at the counter, drinking coffee, nodding every so often at her words.

"What's going on?" Kid groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"I'm back for the party," Waka explained, stuffing a bit of pancake in Ame's mouth so she'd shut up for a minute.

"Party?" Kid asked.

"Oi, the founder's celebration? Honestly, being the son of Death, I thought you'd have the decency to remember."

"No, I mean, who invited you?"

The evening of the party, Kid was downstairs checking everything at the last minute. They had hired a jazz band for the night, and food was always provided. More people came that way.

"Ame, are you almost ready?" Kid asked, knocking on Ame's door gently.

"I'll be out in a minute," she replied. Kid nodded and walked back downstairs where the girls, Nagi, Rin, and Waka were waiting.

"So what is a founder's day celebration?" Waka asked.

"Ame already told you!" Kid snapped.

"Ah," Waka was silent for a moment before he perked up. "Will there be girls?"

"You're doing this to annoy me," Kid resolved, deciding to ignore him. However, he might have to keep a close eye on Waka to make sure he doesn't violate one of the guests.

Ame was in her room, staring at her reflection as she finished tying a ribbon with a skull pendent around her neck. After the knot was secure, her hands trailed down her neck to her chest. She felt a little self-conscious. What if she _was_ as beautiful as Suki? What would Kid think of her then? But he liked her just as she was, right? She would be content with that. She was about to go downstairs when she thought of what Kid had told her about Suki.

_I told her to stop._

The thought of Kid being violated like that was sickening and unsettling. Ame didn't feel well thinking about it. Actually, she literally started feeling a bit sick. She pressed a hand to her forehead worriedly and sat down on the edge of the bed. What was she so freaked out about? Kid was fine now, and she was there to protect him.

But that would explain why he's so shy physically.

Ame soon got herself together and headed downstairs. Most of the guests had already arrived. She met Kid at the foot of the stairs.

"Fashionably late, as always," he said rather disapprovingly. "You're starting to become a normal human girl."

"Sorry about that," Ame said playfully. She suddenly transformed into a wolf. She tilted her head. "Would you prefer it if I always looked like this?"

"Ame," Kid sweatdropped.

"I think she's hot either way!" Waka exclaimed, waltzing over to them in a clumsy manner. He draped himself over Kid's body tiredly.

"Are you actually drunk?!" Kid demanded. "You're so disgusting. What does Ame see in you?"

"I don't," Ame replied, suddenly in her human form. She took Waka's glass and began to drink from it.

"Ame!" Kid scolded. "You can't drink that! We're underage."

"Ah, it's fine, Kid," Ame said devilishly. "I can hold my liquor, and I'm technically seven times as old in wolf years."

"Alright, just take it easy, okay?" Kid sighed. "I'm going to go mingle if you two need me."

"M'kay!" Waka laughed as he left. Once Kid was out of earshot, Waka dropped the drunk façade. He chuckled. "You were right. He is easy to fool."

"He's always been a gullible boy," Ame smiled. It saddened her that it was probably Kid's gullibility that made him so vulnerable.

"Let's see what American food they have!" Waka said, dragging Ame over to the food table. It was there that they ran into Kilik Rung and his two weapon partners, Fire and Thunder. Ame smiled at the two kids that loved her so much.

"Hey, Ame," Kilik greeted. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"That's because you never pay attention in class," Ame said.

"Oh, come on, that's not really seeing you. We never talk, we never eat."

"Because the only way to get to a man is through his stomach," Waka told Ame. Kilik laughed.

"I like you're friend here. Judging by how quickly Fire and Thunder take to him, I'm guessing he's ethereal?"

"He's a member of the Moon Tribe," Ame replied. "Waka, this is two-star meister of Class crescent Moon Kilik Rung and his two shaman partners Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder."

"Hey, you two," Waka knelt in front of them so they could get a better look at his face. "You know, Ame here used to have a real aversion to children. What she'd do was, she'd—"

"Stop using words!" Ame shouted, entangling Waka in an octopus hold.

"Ah! Ma Cherie, that kind of hurts," Waka said. "And, I know this sounds crazy, but I can faintly feel the swelling of your breasts."

"What do you mean faintly?!" Ame demanded. "THER ARE DEFINITELY BREASTS THERE!"

Kid could hear her shouting from across the room, but he just decided to act like he didn't know her.

Waka and Ame also ran into Kim Deihl and her partner Jacqueline on their way around the room.

"There's my favorite pumpkin smasher," Kim greeted, offering a hand for Ame to high-five. Ame rammed her head into Kim's palm enthusiastically.

"Pumpkin-smashing?" Waka questioned.

"It's best you don't ask," Jacqueline advised.

"Did you see the cherry cakes that Tsubaki brought? They're amazing!" Kim continued.

"Yeah, they were really good," Ame smirked. They chatted for a while before Ame and Waka moved on.

"I'm beginning to think you have everyone in this school on your side," Waka said.

"Everyone important, that is," Ame clarified.

**Sorry that the ending is kind of abrupt; I just didn't really have much else to say, and I've already surpassed 2,000 words this chapter. Anyway, I would have uploaded earlier, but we moved and our internet was down, so I'm uploading now! :) Leave a review telling me what you think and I'll get a few more chapters up as soon as I can.**


	5. Chapter 5

The last bell was just about to ring. However, a certain student was already walking—or more like sneaking—down the halls. She'd escaped class with an excuse of a headache and made her way to the front doors of the school. She had something important to do. When she reached the school yard, Ame was there, just as she'd expected. She was sitting up against one of the pillars, brushing her tail absentmindedly as she stared out at the evening sun. The goddess, having heard the student approaching, looked up and directly at the student. Her mismatched eyes gazed into those of the student as she silently waited for the student to say what she wanted.

It was clear this student wasn't getting a name any time soon.

"A-Amaterasu?"

Ame frowned and gave the student a rather impatient look. Who else was she supposed to be?

"Are you and Kid really going together?" the student asked.

Ame smirked. She'd been wanting to do this ever since she got the ring. Kid got to do it all the time whenever boys looked at her. She opened up her hand, flipped it so the back was toward the school girl, and lifted her hand to show off her ring. The student nodded, feeling slightly discouraged at this.

"Oh, I see," she whispered. "I was just wondering… what it was that a nice boy like Kid… saw in you, that's all. I wish to follow your example, Goddess."

Ame looked away, not because she was ashamed of the worshipper, but because she hadn't really thought of it before. What was it that Kid liked about Ame so much?

Screaming, Singing, and Sneezing; Is This What We Like?

Why did Kid like Ame?

Was it because she was cute? He told her that frequently.

"Hey, Kid, come look at this video!" Patti said from where she was sitting on the couch, looking at videos on her laptop. Kid stopped cleaning for a moment to watch the 45 second clip of a baby panda sneezing.

"That's cute," Kid said simply before carrying on with what he was doing. He looked away from the painting he was straightening when he saw Ame in in corner of his eye. "What is it now?"

Ame didn't say anything. She just stared at him with really wide eyes for about five seconds. Kid was about to approach her and ask if she was okay when she suddenly let out a high-pitched, really loud sneeze into her hand. Kid jumped, startled.

"Uhm… bless you? I guess…" he said, looking slightly afraid. "Um, are you okay?"

Ame decided that wasn't it.

Could it be because he liked her singing voice?

"Kid, I know what we should do tonight!" Ame said on Wednesday after school.

They went to a karaoke booth. They rented a room for an hour and Ame scrolled through the songs expectantly. She found the one she wanted and the track began playing as she started screaming into the microphone. Kid winced. Her voice was always so pretty; why couldn't she just pick something else to sing? Anything else? Oh well, if that's what she wanted to sing, it wasn't his choice. Besides, even when she's screaming, she maintains a certain… rhythm.

Ame was slightly discouraged. Was Kid just her boyfriend because someone told him to? Is he doing this because he felt some kind of obligation? No, Kid loved her, she just wasn't sure why. He didn't like her for her looks or her talents or anything, so what was she supposed to tell that girl who asked?

She decided to consult Maka about it. I mean, her father's dated tons of girls, right? She had to know something about the system.

"Why is my girlfriend so weird?!" Kid demanded as he entered Soul's apartment and sat down on the couch. Soul was already there with a videogame remote in hand, picking at a bowl of Doritos on the coffee table.

"Sounds like you and Ame are already having some troubles," Soul said, not taking his eyes off the TV. "Need help?"

"I mean, I know that girls are… weird," Kid couldn't find a better way to describe it. "I get that. But after a while, I really don't know how to handle her."

"I get that," Soul sighed. "I mean, Maka's my meister; she's kind of like the boss around here. Think of Ame as being your meister. Women think they rule the house because they know, and we know, that they are more responsible in the sense that they can actually cook a decent meal and clean the house more than once a year. That's not necessarily your case, but…."

"Okay," Kid nodded. "This is rather restricting. I expect the girls to do whatever I say, you know?" Kid said this carefully, as if he trying not to sound like a bad guy. "But now I feel like whenever I go on a mission, 'Woohoo, I can be the boss. My girlfriend said so.'"

"Imagine how I feel," Soul said. "Maka's my girlfriend and my meister. I never get to tell anyone what to do; I can only tell myself what I do. It's my life, you know?"

Kid watched him graphically behead a zombie.

"Yeah," Kid nodded.

"But if you want advice on girls, I have it," Soul paused the game and looked Kid in the eye. "There are six simple vocabulary words that all women use. First, there's fine."

"Fine?" Kid asked. "As in describing someone, or…?"

"No way," Soul shook his head. "This is the word they use in substitute to 'okay' when she knows she's right and you need to shut up."

"Got it," Kid nodded. "Fine means shut up."

"Next is 'nothing,' because nothing means something and you need to be worried about it. But don't make it obvious; be cool. Just quietly wait for her to blow."

"O… kay…."

"Go Ahead' is a phrase she uses as a dare. It is not permission. My sound advice is DON'T. Also, 'Whatever' is a polite way of her saying 'Screw you and screw your ancestors.' Number five is tricky. If she says 'that's okay' when you're apologizing for something, she's just thinking long and hard on your ultimate demise. Be worried. 'Wow' isn't used sarcastically; she's genuinely amazed at how stupid you really are."

"Are you sure?" Kid asked.

"These can all be positive words in positive context," Soul shrugged. "But women are all the same."

Meanwhile, Ame was meeting with Maka at the café for smoothies.

"So, you wanted to speak about something?" Maka asked Ame as they sat down at a booth in the corner.

"Men," Ame replied seriously, looking Maka expectantly in the eye.

"Men?" Maka laughed. "I get it, this is about Kid, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Do you think it's wrong of me to always act like I'm in charge?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Maka shook her head. "Women are in charge at home; it's the natural process of things. Men just don't understand how to handle themselves in a relationship sometimes. And from a scientific standpoint, women are three percent better at communicating. Do you understand?"

Ame thought about it a moment before nodding with determination.

"Let me warn you, the stupidity of men is amazing and inevitable. They may cheat on you or leave you, but you just got to stay calm, take a breath, and smack them."

"Right!" Ame nodded, kicking her short legs under the table.

"The first thing you need to know is that men are full of crap," Maka said. "Or at least all the men I know. Another thing is that all men are different. Some lie and cheat, some are loyal but still have the relationship experience of a water flea. Just be cool. You're a smart, strong, independent woman and you don't need a man to complete you."

"Really?" Ame asked,blushing.

"Really," Maka nodded. Now that the pep talk was out of the way, she decided to get right down to it. "Since all men are different, they need to be handled in different ways. I'm not quite sure about Kid; he's just very polished and traditional. He's a good guy, but he might just unconsciously dominate you because you're a woman and he's old-fashioned."

"I don't think he's like that," Ame said. "He's easy to grip and break down because of his OCD. I don't take advantage of it, but you're right; he's so well-behaved that I don't have to give a crap what he does."

"That's good," Maka nodded. "I can tell you've broken through that wall he has up. I mean, he made a door for Liz and Patti. He invited you in and gave you your own space on the other side of that wall."

Ame smiled. "So, I know all guys have different interests, but what do they all want?"

"Here we go," Maka sighed. "How to please a man is dull; it's just their brainwork. All the entire population of men have in common is the desire that women come naked and bring beer. That's why the woman has to lead the relationship. You know, there's like a code among women. Men aren't good at relationships or communication, just keep your words short and simple. Say fine when you want him to shut up, and if he screws up, just take a breath and say it's okay. That buys you more time to think of the perfect revenge."

Back to Soul and Kid; they'd moved into the kitchen to make some food.

"Women ask a lot of a man," Soul said as he stirred a bubbling pot on the stove. Kid was measuring ingredients precisely in glass measuring cups. "I mean, you gotta love her, for one thing."

"Of course," Kid said, handing Soul a cup of dried tomatoes. "I mean, what is love without… well, love?"

"Yeah, but it's deeper than that," Soul said. "You have to die for her, and make a lot of personal sacrifices. I mean, all a man wants from a woman is that she comes naked and brings beer."

"Soul," Kid scolded.

"It's true," Soul said. "But in return, we can only handle so much 'woman.' We need personal space. We need me time where we can be the boss of ourselves for a while. Women need you to give that up sometimes, like missing a ball game or using your money to buy her something nice every once and a while. You have to take her out to dinner, and listen when she talks, and…."

"Shouldn't you do that stuff anyway?" Kid asked.

"It's not that easy, Kid," Soul said, setting the food to simmer and taking his apron off. He reached into the fridge and brought out a 2 liter bottle of coke. "Women have needs."

Kid nodded and got two glasses from the cabinet above him. They moved into the dining room and Soul began pouring the soda.

Maka and Ame were devouring their third round of smoothies.

"But Kid isn't like that," Ame said. "He doesn't want to have sex with me yet!"

"Ame, keep your voice down!" Maka scolded, ducking her head and making no eye contact with the few people in the café who were staring at them. She took a breath and composed herself. "Look, we're all underage. I sure hope Kid wants to remain a virgin until he's older, or else there's something even more seriously wrong with that boy than I thought."

Ame stared at her intently. Maka gazed back, noticing her eerie silence. Ame was innocently trying to convey some news to Maka, but she just couldn't bring herself to say it. Maka's mouth fell open.

"Are you serious?" she whispered. "Kid's not a virgin?"

Ame shook her head. Maka looked away, trying not to offend Ame's perfect catch. As soon as she composed herself again, she looked back at Ame and opened her mouth.

"So…"

"Women are insane!" Kid cried, slamming his cup down on the table. Soul filled his glass again. "I mean, they say all they want is love and a man that will die for her, but now they're asking for it in the bedroom. I mean, sure, it's not that bad on our part, but they're a bunch of hypocrites!"

"Caffeine always does it to him," Soul grinned. Over the years that Soul had known Kid, he'd noticed his refrain from excessive amounts of caffeine or sugar. Coffee in the morning was fine to wake him up, but at small parties with Blackstar and Crona, Soul noticed that Kid would talk more and more. And his inhibitions dropped drastically.

"But, Soul, Ame's not like that," Kid said. "She's the goddess of innocence. I'm not even sure that she can."

"What?" Soul asked. "Get naked with you?"

"I know it sounds stupid," Kid sighed, suddenly serious. He swirled the liquid in his glass for a moment.

"Kid?" Soul asked. "I was only kidding. I didn't mean to offend you about it. I get it, Ame's just… someone you're going to miss out on. It doesn't matter. What matters is if you're able to live with that."

"Yes," Kid nodded determinedly. "It never mattered to me what kind of handicap she had. I didn't care if she was crazy, and I don't care if she can't please me like that. Actually, I'm a bit sick of being pleased."

He took a composed sip of his soda.

**This chapter wasn't really serious; it was just kind of throwing things around to be funny. XD Anyway, I hope you guys are reviewing so I can write better.**


	6. Chapter 6

Stein was teaching his class passively. Today they were dissecting a rare tawny owl. The entire class was bored, but that didn't distract Stein in the least. He wasn't even paying attention to the students; he was too focused on his work. Maka stared ahead with glassy eyes, trying to take notes, but something was just off about it today. No one actually had any questions until the owl began moving in the middle of the dissection.

It was just a twitch. Just a little flap of its wings as if Stein had moved it suddenly. However, Stein stared at it as if he had no clue what had happened. He was about to continue as if nothing happened when the specimen twitched again. The scalpel was jerked out of his hand and flew across the room at Kid. Kid looked up, bewildered. What did he do?

"Sorry about that," Stein said. "I guess my hand slipped."

As he walked across the room to retrieve the scalpel, the owl raised itself on its feet on the table. The students watched in horror as the owl twirled around to face them, it's eyeless sockets staring at nothing, its guts spilling all over the desk.

"That's odd," Stein noted. He walked over to the desk and grabbed the owl by the neck. The creature collapsed; it was no more than a limp corpse. Stein dropped the bird and examined his hand. He saw tiny, silky threads between his fingers. Almost like… spider silk. His eyes narrowed and he frowned.

Spider Threads; Spinning a Web of Lies?

"I found spider silk in the classroom today," Stein reported to Lord Death later that day. "My biology specimen began moving around all on its own."

"Tell me more," Lord Death said.

"They wrapped around it like puppet strings. I don't think it was a prank; I think this has to do with something evil."

"I'll look into it," Lord Death said. "But I just can't believe that Arachne would be back already. That's just not her style."

"Do you think it's possible?" Spirit asked.

"I need to call Ame," Lord Death resolved. "Don't tell anyone else what you saw, Stein. This should stay between us for now."

"I understand," Stein nodded.

Meanwhile, in town, Ame was noticing more and more spider webs, but no spiders. It made her anxious. She had to be sure to tell Kid as soon as he got home that evening. She was in the main square, right next to the clock tower. There were a lot of people here, of all places. Ame perked up as she noticed a suspicious figure limping along the edge of the square. This figure looked no different than an average civilian, but there was something off about his movements; it was as if someone were controlling him. He trembled and shook in an odd way, almost like a puppet on a stage. Ame approached him and tilted her head.

"Hey," she said, reaching out a hand. "Are you alright?"

The person looked up at her, and Ame drew back in surprise. His face was plastered into a smile, but his eyes were lifeless. Ame could tell by his scent that he was no more than a corpse. If that were so, then how could he be moving around like this? Ame looked at her hand and saw more of those silky strings wrapped around the body's arms and legs. The silk was sewn through his face as well, keeping his eyelids open and his lips peeled in a disgusting smirk.

The boy's arm raised and Ame could see his fingers tied around a knife. Ame leapt into action, transforming and lunging at the boy's neck. It was the smartest move on her part, since she had gotten so close to him. He collapsed immediately, the strings severing and his bloody body falling to the ground with a thud. Ame couldn't process the screaming around her for a moment. She thought the humans had panicked when they'd seen the knife, but they were actually screaming because they had seen a wolf goddess viciously tear a random citizen to pieces.

This was bad. Ame shifted to her human form and looked at her bloody hands. She wasn't sure how long she just stood there until a familiar voice reached her.

"Ame, what happened?" Kid asked. "I've been looking for you. What… did you do?"

Ame lowered her hands and looked up at him, her eyes serious. Something was wrong, and she knew it. She held out her hands.

"He was dead when I found him, but he was still walking around as if something was controlling him. I know this sounds crazy, but think that someone's been moving things around on their own."

"I know what you mean," Kid nodded. "It happened in class today as well. We need to report to my father."

Instead of going all the way to the academy, the two of them hid in an alleyway and Kid summoned his father himself.

"Why, hello, Kid! I've been meaning to talk to you two about something."

"Is it about things moving around on their own?" Kid asked.

"Yes…" Lord Death tilted his head in slight confusion. "I'm guessing you two already figured it out?"

"I saw a corpse in the main square today try to kill me," Ame stated calmly. "It was like he was being controlled by… something, but I'm not sure what."

"Stein told me the same thing earlier," Lord Death said. "He said that there were strings inside the owl's body. They didn't look like spider's silk, but I have a feeling."

"Impossible," Kid shook his head. "Arachne couldn't be behind this; what's left of her soul is nothing more than a water lily."

"You can never be too sure," Lord Death said. "Think about it. She may still have followers that have found a way to harness her magic for their own."

"What should we do?" Ame asked.

"Well, for starters, I'll send some meisters and weapons to Arachne's resting place, just to see if she's still there. For now, you guys just take it easy and tell me if you find anything else strange going on."

Soul Eater

It was dark, but he didn't like the light. He could see just fine. His home was filled with dead bodies that he ran through with thin cord to control them like puppets. Sometimes he hung them in poses like dolls. He created different scenes and stories with them. They were just his dolls.

He was fiddling with a particular doll right now. It was a girl. He'd bleached her hair until it was white, and gouged her left eye out and replaced it with an emerald stone, shaped perfectly like an eye. He brushed his hands through her hair and held her close.

"One more," he said, setting the corpse down and looking at the rest of his collection. He had so many that looked like her. Some would call him a fanatic.

Ame was in the art studio. It was a nice room on the third floor of Gallows. One of the walls was entirely made of glass, overlooking the garden and the forest around the academy's second campus. The studio had shelves and cabinets filled with paints and sketch pads and whatever they may need. Ame was standing at her easel, running the tip of her paintbrush tail over the canvas. She was drawing a large water lily with a snake wrapped around it. That was an idea. Arachne did have a sister. If anyone, she would know whether or not Arachne was still at peace.

Ame turned her head slightly, not taking her eyes off her painting, when she heard Kid approaching her. He looked over her shoulder silently.

"Beautiful, as always," he commented, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Me, or the painting?" Ame asked. Kid chuckled and kissed her cheek softly.

"Both, of course," he replied. Ame smiled and continued painting.

"Is dinner ready?" she asked. Kid hesitated. It always had to do with food. He was thinking about saying no just to spite her. Ame noticed his silence and got a little nervous. "Is it?"

"No," Kid shrugged. "I burned it. You're going to starve."

"What?!" Ame set down her paint tray and tore her eyes away from her painting to glare at him in disbelief. Kid chuckled.

"Of course it's ready, you glutton. Come on."

Once everyone was seated and eating, Kid decided to make small talk.

"So, Nagi, how was your day?"

"Fine," Nagi shrugged.

"He spied on Liz," Rin interjected. Nagi dropped his fork and glared at his brother.

"Rin!" he whispered furiously.

"I already knew," Liz shrugged. "It's not like I mind. I was just doing homework all day."

"Sure you were," Kid rolled his eyes. "Ame? What were you painting just now?"

"…" Ame thought about it for a moment. "I think I know who we can speak with about our suspicions against Arachne."

"Medusa?" Kid asked in a dark tone. Ame nodded.

"If anyone would know, it would be her. And they fought against each other more often than not."

"Do you know what Medusa did to the academy?!" Kid demanded. He was kind of upset at Ame's naïve thinking. He was usually more patient about it, but this was just too far. "She's the one that screwed the world over. She forced Crona to betray the academy. She's too dangerous to engage, if she's even still alive."

"Medusa has a defining quality in the sense that she never dies," Ame said rather sarcastically. "Her soul was never collected. I think it would be better if we checked up on her to make sure she's behaving herself, in the very least."

"You're insane sometimes, you know that?" Kid sighed. "You don't even know where she is."

"She's close by," Ame said. "She never needed to go far from Death City, and she didn't have a community of witches to return to. I assume the mice and the frog are still with her?"

"How should I know? But you're probably right."

"Are you two hearing yourselves?" Liz asked. "Kid's right; she revived the Kishin and left her mess to us. All she wants is chaos in this world."

"So we should pursue her while she's not doing anything," Ame insisted. "What are you so worried about?"

Kid sighed. There was really no changing Ame's mind. And it wasn't safe to let her go alone.

"I'll talk to Father about it," Kid said. "But don't get your hopes up."

However, when he did speak to Lord Death about it, his reaction was completely in Ame's favor.

"I don't see why not," he said. "I guess I have been wondering what she's been up to since her sister died. Why don't you take Liz and Patti and go with Ame to pay her a little visit?"

"Are you being serious right now?" Kid asked. "Don't you think it's dangerous?"

"Ame's going to be with you, Kid; there's really nothing to worry about. Medusa simply used the Kishin's madness to control everything. Ame's the embodiment of madness; even if Medusa tried something, Ame could channel it out. It's probably best if you don't bring Maka or the others, though. With how things are among them, they'd probably kill Medusa while she didn't have the upper hand."

**I realized that I had used Arachne as a key plot point for half of my last fanfiction, using her as a parallel to the Spider Queen in Okami. However, I never mentioned Medusa or her followers. So, this is how it's going to be! I don't think I'll make her a main villain, but I did want to put her in this time. Also, I would have finished this yesterday, but after getting blood drawn at the children's hospital, they gave me a lollipop that I suspect was drugged because I slept all day and through the night afterwards. Last time I take candy from a doctor.**


	7. Chapter 7

Although Ame knew that Medusa wasn't far from Death City, she didn't know exactly where she was. So, what else was she to do than summon Nuregami, the snake goddess of water, to find her? Even though Nuregami wasn't any good in a place as dry as the dessert, she could find another snake. It was a natural ability gifted to each animal of the Zodiac. All except Inuyasha. Since he betrayed Ame and the other gods, his divine abilities had lessened greatly.

"It's so hot here," Liz complained. She collapsed to her knees next to her sister. "Nure… please… water…."

"Ugh, fine," Nuregami rolled her eyes, throwing a canteen of fresh water at their feet. They devoured the water greedily. Kid sighed, thoroughly embarrassed by their behavior.

"I can't believe you two," he said. "We haven't even been going that long."

"How much farther?" Ame asked.

"I seem to have taken a wrong turn," Nuregami sighed. She pointed at a small oasis some two hundred feet away. "Up ahead."

"Shade!" the two weapons rejoiced.

"Calm down," Kid held them back. "Transform. Medusa's there; I can sense her."

"Well, if that's all you needed, I'll be going," Nuregami sighed, turning away from them.

An Old Enemy; Making Ends Meet and Treaty?

Eruka looked up from where she was sitting behind Medusa. She'd been brushing Medusa's hair, being a servant as she probably always would be now. The five Mizune sisters where all chattering excitedly from where they hid in the bushes, looking excitedly at their guests. Medusa looked up with a grin.

"It's been a long time, reaper," she greeted Kid. "I never thought I'd be seeing you here. Tell me, what brings a god of Death and a god of Life to my humble resting place?"

"It's about Arachne," Kid spoke simply. Now he remembered why he didn't like talking to Medusa. Her tone was always condescending and she was annoying. Medusa's smile vanished and she glared at him.

"What about her?" she asked. "She's dead now, so I don't see how it matters."

"Is she really dead?" Kid asked. "There have been some suspicious occurrences in Death City, and we think she has something to do with it."

"Like I said, I thought she was dead," Medusa said. "Now I'd appreciate it if you leave me alone."

"We're not finished with you," Kid snapped.

He looked up when a figure dropped in front of them. It was the werewolf, Free. He bared his fangs in an intimidating grin.

"You heard her, back off," he growled. Kid reflexively raised his weapons.

"We don't have time to fight," Kid continued. "Just let us by."

"And miss out on a good fight?" Free asked. "No way. Ever since we started laying low, I can't get a good brawl for nothing."

"What a waste," Kid muttered, lowering his weapons. "Ame, take care of him for me. I'll continue with Medusa."

"I'm on it," Ame nodded. She transformed and growled at Free.

"A she-wolf, huh?" Free asked. "I've never run into anyone like you before. What mountain did you come down from?"

"Ezofuji was my resting place," Ame replied with a growl. "And you?"

"I'm a bit of a wanderer," he replied with a grin. "Never stayed too long in a place to call it my home. Anyway, let's stop talking and get this over with."

"You're the one that wanted to fight," Ame stated as he transformed into his wolf form.

As the two of them fought, Kid continued to interrogate Medusa.

"Now give us some straight answers. Are you using Arachne's magic as your own now that she's dead?"

"Why would I do that?" Medusa demanded. "I have my own magic. Besides, Arachne's magic dissolved in a cloud. The only one that would be able to use her power would be the Demon Lord."

"What do you know about that?" Liz asked.

"Oh, please," Medusa rolled her eyes. "Asura threw the entire world into chaos, and the Demon Lord made him look like a joke. Of course I know about the Demon Lord. I don't have anything to do with him, if that's what you're implying."

"Why wouldn't you—?"

"Kid," Ame interjected. Medusa turned to look at her for the first time, all she knew of Inochigami was what little her older sister had told her about Yuki and Ikiru. She'd never seen a manifestation of life in the flesh. She tensed slightly when Ame approached her, getting uncomfortably close, before kneeling in front of her and staring her down. Medusa maintained a poker face as they studied each other.

"You revived the Kishin," Ame said.

"Yes," Medusa replied.

"I have to thank you for that," Ame said.

"Ame," Kid protested.

"If it weren't for you, I might have never defeated the Demon Lord," Ame continued with a soft smile. Medusa stared at her incredulously.

"What are you thanking me for?" she asked. Ame kept smiling and wagged her tail slightly. "What are you smiling for? I didn't do anything. Get your act together; I'm supposed to be your enemy, right?"

"Not in the slightest," Ame said. "Let's declare a truce. I doubt you have the capacity to revive the Demon Lord, why don't you make yourself known as you please and we'll take your name off of Death's list."

"Ame!" Kid protested. "Why do you always ignore me at times like this?"

"I'd enjoy that," Medusa finally smiled back in her cruel way. "And I won't cause you anymore trouble."

"Why is she sucking up?" Kid sighed. Ame returned to his side and glanced back at Medusa.

"By the way, those aren't spider threads," Medusa spoke up. "They're puppet strings. Remember the difference."

"Puppet strings?" Kid wondered.

Soul Eater

"We weren't able to find the culprit behind the attacks," Kid reported to his father that evening. "All we know is that Medusa has nothing to do with it."

"I see," Lord Death sighed. "Well, you two tried your best! All we can do is keep searching."

Although Kid was beginning to worry about these mysterious occurrences, Ame continued her days as if nothing had ever happened. She had to put on a brave face for the public. Just as Lord Death had a school to keep, Ame had worshippers to maintain. She always tried to make everyone as happy as possible so that one day they may return the favor. Just the civilians Death City and a small rural village in Japan had been enough to just get her through the battle with Ninetails.

Nagi found her in the quieter half of the residential area of the city. The neighborhood was composed of small one-story cottages and unkempt laws, dogs barking and cats resting on the fence posts. It was homey, and rather inviting compared to the rest of the morbid city. Ame was sitting on the porch of one of the homes, sitting next to a woman drinking lemonade.

"Thank you for your help, Ame-chan," she said, folding her hands to cradle her pregnant belly. "It's just since my husband died, I've been having some problems getting along on my own. And I'll be having a baby soon, so that only adds to my stress."

"I'm glad I could help, Lily," Ame said with one of her toothy smiles. "I just want to help."

"Thank you for your time," Lily nodded. Ame looked up as Nagi approached them.

"Ame, are you ready to come home?" he asked, averting his eyes from the two of them. "Kid wanted to talk to you about something."

"Don't be so rude, Nagi," Ame smirked, referring to his obvious aversion to kids and pregnant women. Ame was only teasing him, but Lily laughed.

"Do you want to touch it?" she asked quietly, nodding to her stomach. Nagi was blushing an unhealthy crimson color, but he tried not to be rude and accepted her offer. He pressed his palm timidly to the center of her stomach and jerked away immediately.

"Gross, it moved!"

Lily laughed again and Ame got to her feet. She nodded to Lily and began her walk home. Nagi followed with his head down.

"You should really work on that," Ame spoke up once they were out of earshot. "What if Liz wants to have kids someday?"

"She won't," Nagi shrugged. "I know it. I mean, she's never been that good at taking care of herself, so…"

"Nagi," Ame scolded.

"I mean, that's what she always tells me," Nagi shrugged and kept walking. Ame half-smirked and continued home without another word.

Dinner was prepared. They ate. They talked. Kid wanted to confer with Ame about whether or not she saw odd things in the residential areas. It wasn't until after dinner that Kid got a call from Lord Death about an attack. It wasn't a Kishin attack; the souls of the victims were left behind. It was as if the attacker only wanted the bodies. It was very close to Gallows, and that was the only reason Lord Death wanted Kid and Ame to examine the crime scene personally that night.

"It should be close," Kid warned Ame, turning a corner. They could see the flashing light s of police cars and some yellow tape held up around the entrance of an alleyway.

"I can smell the blood," Ame nodded. Kid nodded to one of the policemen and they were let through. The two of them crossed under the tape and entered the alleyway. Ame balked at the sight.

Blood everywhere. It was a woman. Not any woman; it was Lily! Her face was twisted in pain and terror, dry streams of old tears staining her face. Her stomach was ripped open, her guts and… what was left of… it… strewn across the cold ground. Ame could no longer feel anything. She couldn't move, and soon, everything went black.

"Ame!" Kid caught the girl by the shoulders before she hit the ground.

"I knew this crime scene wasn't for children," he heard one of the policemen say.

"I thought that the DWMA would send better VIPs to do their work," another man agreed.

Kid tried not to let their words bother him. Ame was stronger than this.

_I thought they would have sent better VIPs for their work…_

_ You're stronger than this, I know it._

_ … Mei-mei…_

_ Wake up…_

_ Are you awake yet?_

"Are you awake yet?"

Ame's eyes flickered open as she finally regained consciousness. She was in her own bed, and Kid was standing next to her. He'd been checking on her as he had every so often the night before. He put a hand on her face uncertainly.

"I'm fine," she said, taking his hand in both of hers. "I was just shocked."

"I'm sorry," Kid apologized. "I didn't know what happened."

"Don't apologize," Ame said quietly. "At least, this has given me the resolve to truly find who's doing this."

"About that… Ame…" Kid hesitated. "Azusa located most of the missing people. I don't think you should come with us."

"What do you mean?" Ame demanded.

"You should stay here, and I'll take care of it," Kid explained. "I just… after what we saw last night, I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't, I'll be fine," Ame said. "It doesn't matter what you say; I'm coming with you."

"But Ame—"

"We'll leave soon," Ame said. Kid didn't argue with her; he knew he was being ridiculous. He just had a bad feeling about this whole thing.

**Hello again. Between watching Ginga Densetsu Weed and playing The Last of Us and Bleach Soul Resurrection, I hardly find the time or energy to type these in-betweeners ^^;**


	8. Chapter 8

Ame, Kid, Maka, Blackstar, and their weapons all headed out as soon as Ame was back on her feet. Azusa had recovered a name and location for their possible culprit; a demon who called himself the Puppet Master. He wasn't interested in souls; he was interested in people's bodies. He would make puppets out of them to do his evil bidding. Their search led them to Geneva, Switzerland, in an abandoned warehouse.

"It's always a creepy warehouse," Liz complained in her weapon form. "What was this warehouse used for? Halloween props?"

"Worse," Kid replied. "A porcelain doll company."

"Why did we have to take this mission?" Liz cried. "Why? Why?!"

"Get over it," Kid sighed.

"Don't worry about it," Nagi's lips pulled back over his teeth in a wolfish smirk. "We'll be done here soon. Let's just get this over with."

The Puppet Master; Are You Even Human?

Kid led the team into the warehouse, slowly opening the heavy double doors to reveal the inside. At least thirty stray souls were floating throughout the large space, shedding light upon the room's contents. It was like an art gallery; corpses posed and placed in different corners of the storage unit. Most of the corpses were obviously unfinished; some were just half-posed and unorderly.

"Disgusting," Maka said.

"Who would do this?" Tsubaki asked quietly.

Ame continued to venture in curiously, slipping behind a curtain. Kid tried to keep up with her.

"Ame," he said, pulling the curtain back. "Don't run… off…."

Ame was standing in front of one of the dolls. It was standing still, gazing skyward. The body was obviously that of a female, dressed in a crimson hakama and a white kimono top. Her hair was bleached white. Her right eye was tinted yellow from colored contacts, and her left eye, which had been gouged out, was replaced by a smooth emerald stone. Ame reached out to timidly brush the doll's face.

"It's… me," she said. She took a step back. There were more models like her; they were all made to look like her, neglecting her wolf ears and tail. They were all in different positions. No one said anything. There really wasn't anything to say.

"What kind of sick pervert is this guy?" Soul asked. "I've never seen anyone with an obsession with Ame before."

"Why is he doing this?" Maka asked. "I thought he wanted puppets. Not—dolls?"

Ame paused when she saw what was obviously the Puppet Master's best work. It was Ame, of course, lying on a row of boxes, wrapped in a red, velvet comforter. Her arms were extended above her head, and her eyes were closed, as if she was sleeping. It was sickening.

"This is all wrong," Ame whispered.

"Ame, back away," Kid warned.

"I'm not like this," Ame continued, her voice rising in anxiety. "I wouldn't—!"

"Ame," Kid took her arm and pulled her away. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Kid, do I really look like that?" she asked. "Is Ame really… human?"

"No, never," Kid replied firmly.

"So she's an animal, is she?" a voice leered from the darkness. The others turned, readying themselves for battle. There he was—the Puppet Master. He was tall, and cloaked in thick black robes. His hair hung to the ground in silver waves, his eyes concealed by his choppy bangs. He reached out and held one of his dolls close. "I guess I should make another doll."

"You disgust me," Kid growled, pushing Ame behind him and assuming the crime stance. "Puppet Master, you've caused numerous deaths and used your victims' bodies for your perversion of a goddess. We judge you for this act of crime."

"Rise, puppets!" the demon commanded, holding his hands out. The puppets began to move, a web of string spreading across the warehouse.

"Ame," Kid said. The girl transformed into a white wolf and growled at her enemy. He wouldn't let him go for defiling her in such a way.

The puppet wrapped in velvet sat up and looked at them. She tilted her head as his strings compelled her to do his bidding. He loved her so…. That's all it could have been, right? She felt her arms reach up like she had no control of them. She was nothing more than his puppet now. Her head rolled to the side as she began to dance slowly.

The battle began; stone and clay crashing and crumbling as it was broke. Wires strained and stretched against metal and skin, cutting through what it could. Maka lunged at one of the dolls, stabbing it through the chest. She winced as the puppet string wrapped around her arm. She jerked away, cutting the string with the blade of her scythe.

"Maka, be careful!" Soul chided. "Don't let that string wrap around you, or you're done for."

"Got it," Maka dodged a blow from one of the puppets.

"Man, it's like a corpse party in here," Ame said, lunging at another puppet to rip it to pieces.

"Is this really the time, Ame?" Kid asked, slightly annoyed at her careless anime/game reference.

"Well, when else are we going to be in a room full of corpses?" Ame asked.

"Plenty!" Kid replied, shooting one of the cords.

"She's so feisty," the Puppet Master mused from where he watched them battle. "I want her for my collection."

"This is pointless!" Blackstar shouted. "We're not getting anywhere killing something that's already dead."

"And when we cut the cords, they just tie back together," Soul added.

"We need to destroy them at their source," Maka said.

"But there's a bundle of cords protecting him," Liz said. "How do we break through?"

"Maka, use Witch Hunter," Kid ordered. "After you break through, we'll try everything we can to defeat him."

"Right," Maka nodded. "You ready, Soul?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!"

Soul Eater

"It's no use, girl," Puppet Master said. "I won't let anyone but Ame break through."

"Witch Hunter!"

Maka lunged, driving her scythe forcefully through the bundle of strings and cords. The Puppet Master fought all her could, but he was no match for her. His hands, entangled in the mess of string, were shredded clean off as the cord broke. The puppets collapsed and the others shifted their full attention to the master.

"No!" he cried, staring at the bloody stumps at the ends of his wrists. "This can't happen! You did this!"

He glared at Ame, who growled.

"You're nothing more than a cruel god, a manifestation of cruelty and evil! You liar! You don't deserve to be god, and you don't deserve to fool everyone into thinking you're human, you wolf!"

Ame's head swung to the side as if he'd hit her. While he'd admired her, although perversely, Ame's strength had been prevalent. However, now that he hated her, blasphemed her, the power was crushed. It was leeched out of her and thrown into a sea of despair and broken dreams.

"Don't talk to her that way," Kid growled.

"Tsubaki, Enchanted sword mode," Blackstar commanded, charging at the demon.

"Let's keep going, Soul."

"Liz, Patti, Soul Resonance."

Ame snapped out of her reverie and charged at the Puppet Master. She attacked with all her might, and he wasn't formidable at all. A few solid hits had him down on his knees. Ame stalked forward, ready to end this battle.

"Why are you so enamored with the image of a pure human body?" she asked.

"Because a pure human body would not truly be human at all," he replied quietly. "It would be something I can touch, and I can love, without any defilement taking place. I just wanted you. But a wolf… is a demon!"

With his last ounce of strength, he threw a bundle of metal wire at her, which spread underneath her skin and inside her body, petrifying her. She was thrown against the opposite wall.

"Just as I suspected!" Puppet Master laughed. "You're weaker in your human form!"

"You don't know anything about me," Ame growled, baring her fangs.

"I know of your purity, but of your strength, you have none! Only a human can truly die! Even your boyfriend can't be immortal as a human!"

"Shut up!" Ame snarled, straining to stand on her own two feet. She trembled as she straightened her legs, but she didn't give up. She opened her mouth wider in a loud snarl. "I have enough strength to kill you, worshipper!"

She lunged across the room in one powerful bound, The Puppet Master collapsed in a pool of blood.

"I wish you had made it easy," she growled.

"Ame, are you okay?" Kid asked seriously. Ame looked down. The wire had split into several pieces, breaking through her skin in some places. She shook her fur out, splattering small droplets of blood on the floor.

"I'll be fine," she said. "The black blood in my body will dissolve the wires.

"Okay," Kid nodded, still rather uncertain. What was it that the puppet master had said about death? What was his reason to believe Kid wasn't immortal?

"Well, that happened," Blackstar said as the weapons took their human forms.

"I've never seen anyone with such an obsession with you, Ame," Maka noted.

"Yeah, not even Kid is that obsessed with you!" Liz laughed.

"Shut up, Liz," Kid rolled his eyes, blushing.

"I hope you're not jealous," Liz continued to pester him.

"I said shut up!"

**Just trying to get as many chapters as possible up while I'm on my two-week summer vacation :) I don't think I'll post much more until I get a few reviews, just in case anyone has suggestions that I could put in the next few chapters for some filler.**


	9. Chapter 9

Kid found Ame in the music room, staring out the window at the setting sun. He needed to talk to her. She raised her head and watched him as he approached. She grinned and wagged her tail, expecting him to smile and pet her or something. His face remained somber.

"Ame, I want to know what he meant," he said. Ame frowned. "He said that I'm not immortal if I'm human. What did he mean?"

"Why didn't you bring this question to someone else?" Ame asked darkly. Her voice had changed again; she always sounded more mature when she was serious. It was almost like she was a different person. "Sayo probably could have told you, let alone your father."

"I want to hear you tell me," Kid replied. "I want to know the truth."

"… Fine," Ame shifted her gaze to the sunset. "Tell me, what are humans made of?"

"Made of?" Kid thought about it for a minute. "Water, carbon, ammonia, lime, phosphorous, salt, saltpeter, sulfur, fluorine, iron, silicon, and trace amounts of 15 other elements."

"So in short, dirt," Ame said, getting to her feet and turning around to face him. "And dirt is below animals. There is a theory that humans had evolved from primates. If that were true, then wouldn't Hanagami, the monkey god, be the strongest god in the Zodiac? Wouldn't he be the ultimate?"

"Stop stalling, just tell me what I want to know," Kid said. He was tired of everyone keeping him in the dark about these things.

"I can't," Ame said.

"Why not?"

"I just can't," Ame growled.

"So now you're keeping things from me again?" Kid demanded. "Is this what our partnership is, Ame?"

"Just drop it!"

Kid sighed irately. Even though the Puppet Master had been defeated, it still felt like there was more evil to be fought right around the corner.

The Ultimate God; If We Can't Trust Politicians, Who Can?

Ame and the others were on the balcony, eating lunch like they did so much of the time. They didn't eat together quite as often anymore because everyone was so busy of late. Ame enjoyed what time she could spend with the seven people that had introduced her to the human world. It was hard to believe that only two years before, she'd been living in a small cave in the forest, never setting foot near a human city.

"Where'd you go this weekend, Ame?" Maka asked. "We missed you."

"My presence was requested at party in England," Ame said. "It was so dull that I could hardly stand it. There are way too many people like Kid there."

"Hey," Kid said.

"D-don't you enjoy being with other humans?" Crona asked. Ame smiled at him kindly.

"Of course I do. As a goddess, I must make the humans know I care, even when I can't help. However, we're getting some controversy lately," she said the last bit with disdain.

"I knew we would," Kid shook his head.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tsubaki asked.

"Since Ame's the embodiment of Madness, we've been expecting her to get some doubtful nay-sayers," Kid explained. "They think she isn't fit to be god and whatnot. Basically the same things we thought when we first met her."

"Does it really matter?" Soul asked. "I mean, it's just idle gossip. Ame lives off of praise and everything, but what can a few doubters do to her?"

Kid sighed. "This is actually something that we're not supposed to talk about. You saw what the Puppet Master did to her by simply doubting her because she's a wolf. You see, we are gods, but things are different than what they were eight centuries ago. Now we have a more political position; it's not as absolute anymore. If the humans don't find us fit to be their leaders, they could…."

"Overthrow us," Ame whispered.

On the way home from school, it happened. It wasn't thunder, and it wasn't a tremor. It was a full-blown earthquake in the middle of Death City. The ground shook so badly that Ame actually lost her balance. The sound made her ears bleed, but she didn't know if it was supposed to be a bang or a crack. Was this the sound of the earth screaming? She could hear the sound of people shouting, including the others in her party.

Kid collapsed beside her, and she protectively put an arm around him and covered his body with her own. She kept an eye on her surroundings, trying to remain calm. Liz and Patti were still right next to them, with Nagi and Rin. Rin had a bit of blood on his fur, but he seemed to be doing fine otherwise. Buildings were crumbling and people were fleeing.

This was probably an aftershock from an earthquake outside of the region, but to see buildings tremble and break and people run and scream was still horrific.

When Ame and Kid got home, they flipped on the television and began watching the news.

_ "Earthquakes have been claiming the lives of thousands around the globe. It's almost as if these things occurred under the influence of Amaterasu herself."_

"What did you do?!" Kid demanded.

"I didn't do anything and you know it!" Ame demanded, getting to her feet.

"What kind of controversy is this?" Kid demanded. "What makes them think that any old natural disaster is your fault?"

"What kind of people are they?" Ame asked. "What did I do to them?"

"They're news people, Ame," Kid said. "This is how they operate. Casting blame first chance they get."

"Whatever. I'm hungry."

"Don't you care about the world?" Kid called after her as she trotted into the kitchen to get some comfort food. She was probably feeling low, anticipating the sudden decrease in worshippers she'd have. Kid turned back to the television as a new talk show came on.

"Amaterasu is a good goddess," the woman said. "Although I don't know anything of her past or why she waited so long to make herself known, she doesn't do things like this without reason. Also, she can cause natural disasters, but she can never kill someone with them. Most of these people should still be alive if this were the work of Amaterasu alone."

_ "Is it possible that now that Amaterasu and Death the Kid are cooperating with each other for the first time in history that they are using their powers against humankind?"_

Kid wasn't quite sure what he was watching. What is all this about gods killing off or enslaving mankind? He felt his eye twitch a bit as he watched the show cut to commercials. This was very bad. It was only a few hours later that Lord Death had called them and said they would be meeting in the Death Room early in the morning to meet with some government officials that wanted to… speak with them. 'Speak' was probably code for every form of harassment decently known to man in order to get information on something they didn't know.

Soul Eater

Ame didn't like getting up early. They had to be at the Death Room by 6:45 before the interview at seven. Ame got dressed and stayed in the kitchen whilst Kid buzzed around unhappily, fussing over this and that as he went.

"We can't be late," he said, tugging at his tie. "Ame, what time is it?"

"6:08," Ame replied. Kid paused and looked up at the clock.

"Ame, it's already 6:40! Why didn't you tell me you can't tell time?!" he demanded, grabbing her by the collar and bolting out the door.

In the Death Room, Lord Death noticed how flustered the two of them were.

"You two need to calm down some," he said. "If we're nervous, then surely the humans will get suspicious."

"Shinigami," Ame asked. "What time is it now?"

"6:44," he replied.

"No, it should be 6:09!"

"Um…" Lord Death looked at Kid. "Kid, do you know what she's talking about?"

"Ame can't tell time," he explained. "If this is the best chance we've got at leadership, then we're screwed."

"Just remember not to say anything stupid, Ame," Lord Death said. "Both of you just need to speak only when spoken to and please don't say anything that they don't need to know."

"Like I spilled strawberry jam on my pajamas?" Ame asked, sticking her tongue out the side of her lips.

"I mean it, Ame, this is serious."

The room was quiet for a moment before the government people finally arrived. Well, person; it was just one guy in a black suit with a tape recorder in one hand. Ame put on a straight face and looked down. She didn't want to make eye contact with him; something just wasn't right.

"Welcome!" Lord Death said. "Glad you could make it."

"I've been sent to discuss the crisis with you," the man said. "So let's skip the formalities, shall we?"

'_Skipping formalities in front of a goddess?_' Ame thought. '_How rude._'

"I am recording," he continued. "Anything you say can and will be used against you if we see fit."

'_What? Are we under arrest?_' Kid thought. He would have said it out loud if it wouldn't have made their situation worse.

"Alright then," Lord Death nodded. "Shall we begin, then?"

"The people are concerned that you aren't responding to the earthquake that split the country last night," he continued.

'_No, they're not_,' Ame thought. '_They want to know if I'm that powerful_.'

"Unless you do something about it, the people are sure to question you," he continued. "You, your son, and… Amaterasu must get a grip on things, or else bad things will happen."

He said Ame's name with disdain, as if he didn't like her being there.

"We know all that," Lord Death said in a serious tone. "Now why don't you tell us what you really want to know?"

"What I want to know is what's going on," the man said. "If Amaterasu does have as much power as she claims, this could be her doing. I hear that you haven't known her for long. How could you trust her?"

"We have expert meisters with great lie-detection abilities—"

"But are you sure that's enough?" he pressed. "Ame isn't human; she's an animal. Also half alien. How are you sure our attempts to reason with her aren't futile?"

"Don't speak about Amaterasu that way," Kid spoke in a hard, defensive tone. "Just because we're gods doesn't mean we have complete control over the earth. Amaterasu is just as clueless as we are about this whole thing. If the people rely on you, why are you trying to rely on others? When the Kishin was running loose, at least people tried to help—"

"Kid," Lord Death warned. Kid didn't finish what he was going to say. "I'm so sorry about my son. He won't do that again."

"That's right," the man said, frowning at Kid. "You shouldn't speak to your elders in such a manner."

"Everyone should put effort in," Kid mumbled. "If you're questioning our efforts, I can show you what a death god can really do."

The man didn't take any more from Kid. He took a step forward and smacked Kid so hard that he fell to the ground. Ame flinched. This wasn't righteousness, this was madness!

"You'd better watch your mouth, little reaper," the man warned. "I can consider what you just said a threat to human society. Kid is seen as an unstable leader. We can use that against you."

"Please," Lord Death tried to maintain the peace. "Don't hold this against him. He was merely trying to explain that we know no more than what we're saying, and that you are unjust to think otherwise."

"It's too late, Lord Death," he said. "The people question your actions, and anything said or done will be accounted for. That is our job."

"What exactly do you want?"

"We just want the peace that civilians deserve," the man replied with a grin.

"Liar," Ame suddenly growled. The others glanced at her, surprised at her sudden outburst.

"What was that?" the man asked, as if he didn't quite catch what she said.

"You're a liar," Ame repeated, raising her head to glare at him. "Saying you're doing this for the people, when you're only going to scare them."

"Would you like to question our actions?" the man seemed to be mocking her. "How about if we went to the media? What will they think?"

"Go, then," Ame challenged, her eyes wide and staring into him. "Let's all go to the media. I'm sure they'd love to hear all about you cowering behind gods that you can't honestly blame. Leave Kid out of this and fight me!"

"Is that a threat?" the man asked.

"Ame, what are you doing?" Kid asked.

"Absolutely," Ame said. "I want everyone to know that if I wanted to end the world, I would burn the entire place up with a single brush stroke. If I wanted humans to suffer, I would stop time and bring them in one by one." She was stalking towards them now, her shoulders low almost as if she were crouching. "I would torture them, violate them, and you would only watch. My family and I have nothing to do with these earthquakes, so keep your lies to yourself."

"Ame!" Lord Death said. "Enough."

"That is enough, Ame," the man nodded, smirking. "I believe I've just been threatened by a savage wolf god. And all on record too. I'll bring this to the media promptly."

Ame lost it. For a split second, she was in her wolf form. Kid only saw a flash of white before the man yelled in obvious pain. When Ame backed away, Kid could see the man gripping his left hand, which was bathed in red and dripping blood all over the floor. The man glared at Ame, who was in her wolf form, the broken tape recorder at her forepaws.

"You will regret this," he said. "You will all regret this! You will all be taken down, mark my words!"

Ame kept a steady glare on the men as they left. She glanced at Kid before turning and leaving.


	10. Chapter 10

Ame and Kid sat in the park, alone. They were sitting next to each other against the wall, staring out at the grey clouds above. Kid reached up to brush his fingers against the bruise that was developing on his cheek. He sighed.

"Hey, Kid," Liz called as she, Maka, and Soul entered the park.

"How did it go?" Maka asked. Kid frowned, turning his face so they could see the mark on his face.

"He hit me," Kid said dismally.

"And I bit him," Ame added. "It's just not been a very good day for us."

"How uncool can you get?" Soul asked, sitting down next to them. "What did you bite him for?"

"He was being cocky," she replied. "He didn't get to see the monster that he was trying to blame. So I showed him."

"Badass," Soul complimented.

"I hate this," Ame growled. "He just stood there, saying I wasn't human, and that I was an alien. I've never felt so insulted. I just felt… chagrined!"

"Well, attacking him didn't help with anything," Soul sighed. "But I get where you're coming from."

"What's going to happen now?" Maka asked. She and Liz were sitting on the other side of Kid now.

"They'll report us and there will probably be some rebellion," Kid replied.

"Actually," Liz said. "I heard about it on the radio on our way here. With some of the things Ame said, I don't think people have the courage to go up against her. I think you're insured."

Kid glanced at Ame, who was playing with some bugs on the cement. He reached out and patted her head.

"Good girl," he purred. That was all he could do.

Suspicion; Who's Sin Can Break the Earth?

"What's causing this?" Ame asked. "What's causing the earthquake? I mean, it was only one earthquake, so why is the world so upset? Someone must be tipping us off that this was done by someone unnatural."

"I have my suspicions," Kid nodded. "But I just don't think it was those government people. They just aren't powerful enough to do something like this undetected."

"Nagi," Ame called attention to her brother, who was flipping through a couple of books. "I need you to hack into the government system to see who they've been in contact with."

"What?!" Nagi and Kid demanded.

"Ame, are you crazy?" Kid asked.

"Of course I am," she said. "I'm the embodiment of madness. Now, I'm going to summon Itegami of Shadow to help us out. He can get you into the hotel they're staying at and probably buy you some time if things go amiss."

"Got it," Nagi nodded. "I'm ready to go."

"Alright," Ame nodded. She turned to the window and painted four dots in the sky to make a constellation of an ox. The keeper of the brush power Shadow, or Create, appeared at the edge of the balcony, floating as he waited for Nagi to join him. The wolf ran out and jumped off the three-story balcony to land safely below before running in the direction of the hotel.

"We need to be asking ourselves different questions," Kid said. "Who would benefit from splitting the word in two?"

"Whoever it is wants to get us out of the question," Ame said. "So it could be a mere mortal. The Demon Lord doesn't fight like this; it's just not his style. Someone new, maybe?"

"If they are new, then they probably aren't that powerful yet," Kid said. "That's why they're leaving the dirty work to the rest of the population. How cowardly."

The more Kid thought about it, the more Kid was reminded of Asura. Asura was like an embodiment of fear, hence his moves were few and cowardly. He hid behind Arachnophobia and didn't understand the concept of bravery.

"No way," he shook his head, closing the book he was reading. "It couldn't be Asura. He was reformed, wasn't he?"

"Of course," Ame nodded. "He's with the others in the Celestial Plain now. Maybe a stray Asura worshipper?"

"No, even if it was a plan of Asura, this doesn't seem like something he'd want. By destroying the guardians of the world, what would he gain?"

"Enslavement of mankind," Ame said suddenly. "Hey, Kid, show me the geological whatever-thing-a-mabob. You know, that shows the depth and width of the split?"

Kid showed her what she wanted. She studied the pattern intently, running her finger over the surface. She suddenly felt a slight burning sensation in her left eye. She covered it with her hand and sat down. It was hopeless.

They studied for hours, but they came up with nothing.

"That's it," Ame said. "We need to go investigate the plain ourselves. I think we'll find more there."

Kid nodded. They both looked up when they heard someone approaching. Ame looked out the window and gasped in horror.

"It's Nagi!" she cried, running downstairs and outside. Kid glanced out the window before joining her. Nagi was in his wolf form, limping. Blood stained the right half of his body. He collapsed in the garden, whimpering slightly.

"Nagi!" Liz screamed, running towards him. She knelt down beside him and hesitated. He looked pretty bad. Ame and Kid arrived a moment later. "What happened to him?"

"I think he was shot," Ame said. "The humans must have caught him there."

"Why did you send him?!" Liz demanded angrily. "He could have died! He's your brother!"

"Hey," Nagi whimpered, raising his head and looking at Liz longingly. "I'm fine. I've had worse."

"Come on, we have to get inside," Ame said.

Soul Eater

"What happened?" Ame asked Nagi once he had rested up a bit.

"I was just leaving when that man and his followers showed up. I was able to escape through the window before they got a good view of me, but they grabbed their guns and started shooting. Itegami was able to take care of the security cameras and such, so we'll just have to wait and see."

"I'm just glad you made it out alive," Liz said, sitting next to Nagi and taking his hand.

"Whatever is going on, they know nothing about it," Nagi continued.

"So we're back to square one again," Kid sighed. "This is useless. Nagi, when do you think you'll be on your feet again?"

"Kid, he's just been shot," Liz snapped. "Have a little compassion."

"Time is of the essence, Liz," Kid retorted. "If we don't figure out what's going on, the humans will. And then they'll overthrow us."

"You don't have to worry about that," Ame said, getting to her feet and walking towards Kid. "We can go on our own tomorrow. We'll just scout it out and bring the others when Nagi has had time to heal."

"Alright," Kid nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow."

"Hey, look on the news!" Patti pointed to the television she had been watching on the other side of the room. Kid turned his head and frowned.

_"After a private interview in the Death Room, Robert Shining reported that Amaterasu had attacked him, nearly destroying his recording equipment and leaving him with a bloody hand. A trip to the hospital revealed that it was only a scratch. However, if Inochigami Amaterasu is truly so bold as to attack a government representative, what would stop her from hurting other innocent people."_

"Now you've done it, Ame," Liz said.

"Good," Ame grinned. "Now they know better than to tease a wolf."

"This isn't good, Ame," Kid argued. "Try to get the people to like you, okay? Your image is on the line here."

"What do I care about my public image?" Ame asked rather arrogantly, her tail twitching in slight aggravation. "Inochigami don't get off looking pretty. So what if the government is afraid of me? They can't truly control what a human believes. I will continue to work honestly for the good of the world, and it will bring me more worshippers than if I had fame and renown like an actress."

"How would you know?" Kid demanded. "You've been living under a rock for a thousand years. Things have changed, Ame. This world is different."

"Why are you treating me like a child?!" Ame shouted. "I know more than this world alone. I know how humans work. I know what would have happened if I hadn't attacked that man, and I know what will happen now that I have attacked him. Give up on your perfect world and leave me be. I'm tired of this."

"Hey, you two," Nagi warned. "Stop fighting. This is stupid."

Kid and Ame continued to glare at each other silently for a long minute. Finally, Kid looked away.

"We'll leave in the morning," he said. "I expect you to be ready."

"Fine," Ame said, turning her back and disappearing upstairs.

**Another chapter complete. I would have posted this sooner, but again, shit happens. My laptop screen broke, now there's a giant ink splotch in the center. I can't work with that! Also, I'd like to say I took a lot of inspiration for this chapter from a fanfiction called A New Kind of Madness by LuckySoulStarEater. I love this fanfic and I recommend you check out a chapter or ten. Anyway, that's all for me today; have a nice day and I'll see you next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11

_ I've been trapped here for too long. I long to see the surface of this rotten world once more. I need to taste the rays of the sun that dares to rise every day, for better or for worse. I will rise again, and when I do, I will be the god of this new world._

Ame and Kid left for Mexico the next morning. When they got there, they just saw a huge drop off where Monterrey, Mexico was supposed to be. It stretched all the way across Mexico, splitting it in half. Kid brought his skateboard to a stop and Ame leapt off cautiously. She peered over the edge of the drop, trying to see if something was down there. The split was so deep that she could see glowing orange lava at the bottom. Since Monterrey was on the coast, the lava seemed to be spreading out into the ocean.

"We need to get a better look," she said, getting back on Kid's skateboard and wrapping her arms around his waist. She hated flying; she wished she could just walk. The air was hot and humid from the steam rising from below.

"Alright," Kid nodded and soared higher. They drifted closer to the edge where land met water. The lava was starting to cool off by now, but the water was evaporating in plumes of steam. Kid kept as much distance between them plumes and himself; the chlorine from the salt water could be poisonous.

"Why would someone split a continent right here?" Kid wondered. "I can see lava mixing with the ocean out there. It's almost as if the ocean was the target."

"I feel like I've… been here before," Ame mumbled to herself. Her eye suddenly started burning again and she put a hand up to cover it. Her vision went black and she felt a moment of panic before vivid images started playing in her mind.

_She was in her wolf form, and she was running. She saw a figure to her left, floating in the air. Was that Death? Yes, it was, from two thousand years ago. He was fighting someone, a human. Ame felt herself leap into the air and hit the human. It was a man with a black book in his hands. Ame felt her teeth rip into his flesh, wrapping chains around his arms and neck, as she threw him far down into the earth, never letting him out._

"Kid, we have to get out of here," Ame said urgently.

"What? Why? I thought you wanted to look."

"Just go!"

Kid hesitated, but turned in the direction of home and began leaving. He wasn't aware of someone watching them leave.

"So, it's true," the figure murmured from where he was in a tree at the edge of the break. "The little wolf girl has visions of her past selves. Things will go exactly according to plan."

Once they were far enough away from the crime scene that Ame's head wasn't fuzzy, she started speaking again.

"Kid, I think I know what's going on," she said. "We need to get back to the Death Room now."

Once they did reach Death City, it was nighttime. They went to the DWMA and entered the Death Room. They hesitated, looking around the room as if they expected to be pounced on by reporters any moment.

"It's okay, you two," Lord Death said. "I sent them all away. We're safe."

"Father, we searched the area," Kid reported. "The entire place is a wasteland; I don't think whoever is doing this is anywhere near there anymore."

"Actually, Kid," Ame spoke up. Her voice was strange. She no longer sounded as cute and bubbly as she normally did. She was firm, mature. She sounded older than she was, actually. "I had a vision when I was there."

She looked up rather accusingly at Lord Death.

"There was a human there. When Rin opened up the ground, he was bound to the core of the earth by chains."

"My, that _was_ a long time ago," Lord Death said. "I think this calls for the Book."

"The book?" Kid asked. "You mean that old thing you and Ame published for Miss Harumi's class?"

"That's right," Lord Death said, tapping the mirror behind him. The surface rippled and they saw the attic of Gallows Mansion. The trio stepped through and entered the much feared area that not even Kid dared to enter. The room was dark and dusty, filled with spiders and rats. Never mind how large the space was; it was so overrun with boxes and trunks and old things that there was only a thin aisle of clear floor for the three to stand in. Kid automatically began straightening what he could. Meanwhile, Lord Death rummaged through a couple things before finding his copy of the Book.

This Book was so old that it didn't have a name. It contained all history of Inochigami and Shinigami thus far. It was bound in white leather with a red emblem on the front. Lord Death dusted it off a bit before opening it and flipping through a few pages.

"For good reasons, Ikiru and I decided not to put the whole story in the textbooks you students have," Lord Death began. "Because, well, it would be too long. This particular chapter was written by the Celestial Envoy Kohaku, Rin's companion. This was a couple thousand years ago when Shinigami still traditionally killed using the Death Note, a notebook that kills and harvest the soul of anyone whose name is written in it."

"A human somehow got a hold of that notebook," Kid recalled. "He became a Kishin. Wasn't he killed?"

"No, at the time he was too powerful to kill," Lord Death replied. "So Rin locked him in the ground underneath the ocean. I believe that he has somehow found a way to escape."

"So, this is a human, trying to become a Shinigami?" Kid asked.

"I'm afraid so," Lord Death nodded, turning back to them. "If Sidoh returns, he will try to enslave all mankind once more."

"Sidoh?" Ame bristled. She remembered her vision. The chains wrapping around Sidoh's body, trapping him into the earth's core to burn. It was a battle of power, a war of godhood.

"I think we need to tell the others," Kid suggested.

"And the media," Ame added.

"Ame, are you insane?" Kid demanded. "They'll eat us alive if we tell them something like this."

"No, they'll eat us alive if you tell them this," Ame corrected. "Sidoh is powerful, and if we can't do anything about his return, humans will blame us if humans start dying again."

"Ame's right," Lord Death said. "We can try calming the public; they might just be on our side again."

Ame and Kid nodded.

"I'll call an interview in the Death Room tomorrow," Lord Death said. "You two make preparations. Memorize lines, whatever you need to do. I'm going back to the academy in case I'm needed."

Soul Eater

Ame was in the dining room setting the table when the phone rang. She ambled into the kitchen and picked up the receiver.

"Death residence," she answered. She glanced at the caller ID. It was the news station. Shit. She kept her voice excessively friendly. "This is Amaterasu."

"Amaterasu herself," a man's voice said. He sounded rushed and a bit nervous. "Good to talk to you. You sound friendlier than I thought you would. Anyway, I'm calling from the Channel 8 news station. This is a private call, so you're not on the air or anything. We were just wondering if you'd come in for a private interview with our girl Tanya tomorrow at eight."

"To discuss the crisis?" Ame asked.

"Yes," he replied. He sounded young; he was obviously just an assistant.

"I'll be there at seven forty-five," Ame said. "I'm always happy to help my people."

"Thank you, Amaterasu."

Ame hung up and dragged her hands down her face in exasperation. Kid saw this motion as he entered the kitchen. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek softly. She smiled, leaning back against him.

"Tired?" he asked.

"Yes," Ame whined.

"The food smells great," Kid praised. "How about after dinner you take a bath and get to bed? We have another early morning tomorrow."

Ame smirked at him. She didn't tell him about the interview partly because she wanted him to be surprised and she wanted to delay the moment when he kills her.

The next morning, Ame got up early and headed to the station alone. When she got there, she noticed the stagehands were nervous around her, as if she'd bite them. At least they knew not to poke a wolf with a stick, but it was so constrained that Ame couldn't feel any praise at all in the building.

"W-welcome, Inochigami Amaterasu," a stagehand greeted her. He reeked of fear, but Ame forced herself to be polite.

"I'm here for the interview," Ame said, smiling warmly at him.

"Of course," he nodded and showed her backstage. "Um, Hannah will take care of your makeup for you, and do you want some coffee? Water? Anything?"

"No, thank you, dear," Ame shook her head politely as she sat in the chair Hannah offered her. "Don't trouble yourself with me, I'm alright."

"She's a lot smaller than I'd expected," she heard one of the assistants say.

"Do you really think she attacked that guy?" another whispered.

Ame was left with Hannah the make-up girl. Hannah was tall and wore a lot of make-up herself, as if to make it clear that she knew what she was doing. However, when she tried putting the brush to Ame's skin, Ame held her hands away.

"My apologies," Ame said politely, just like Kid taught her. "Shrine maidens, and hence Inochigami, rely on natural beauty. Thank you."

She touched her feet back to the ground and made her way to the stage where Tanya was waiting for her. Tanya seemed to be the only person that wasn't afraid of her. She waved Ame over and Ame sat in the white leather chair next to her.

"Hi, Ame," Tanya greeted her. "Are you ready for this interview?"

'_The girl did her homework_,' Ame realized. '_She knows I am not really as old as I would like to think._'

"I'll tell you all you need to know," Ame smiled at her, her ears plushing slightly as she said this. Tanya smiled.

"Alright, we're live," the director said. "Action!"

"What do you mean she's not here?!" Kid demanded. Lord Death motioned to the mirror.

There was Ame, in her best kimono, sitting next to the best reporter in Death City.

"She is so dead!"

'_Behave yourself, Ame. They have cameras_.'

"Hello, America," Tanya greeted the cameras. She became slightly more serious. This was her work front. "Today I'm here with the Goddess of Life, Amaterasu. Tell us, Amaterasu, what was your first reaction to the earthquake?"

Ame thought her answer through carefully. "Natural disasters happen all the time. Death isn't necessarily a part of life, more like part of existence. Nonetheless, I felt mourning for the people I knew were dying."

"Where were you, when this split happened?"

"I was walking home with my friends when we felt a tremor," Ame replied truthfully. "When we got home and checked the news, we saw that it split the continent. Then I got worried."

"But you said natural disasters happen all the time," Tanya said.

"Yes, but there was something about this disaster that wasn't natural at all," Ame said. "After our last radio interview, Kid and I went to investigate the crime scene personally; the other meisters and weapons we were sending weren't finding anything useful."

"Did you two find anything when you were down there?"

"There is a great evil in the core of the earth, and it's finally regained enough power to break through the surface of the earth. It's a threat, and we'll be dealing with it soon."

"Is this threat as dangerous as Asura?" Tanya asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Ame nodded. "And in order to stop it, we need every human's help. With only our own power, you know the consequences. Lives will be lost."

"Well, what do you know?" Tanya turned to the cameras, her voice getting a bit quiet with anxiety. "We were always wrong to doubt the gods. Ame, is there anything you can do to prevent this Kishin from rising?"

"There's always something," Ame nodded. "But finding whoever—if anyone, this is just a guess—is trying to free him is a total inopportunity right now. We haven't any leads."

"Well, we can help there," Tanya nodded. She turned back to the camera. "If anyone sees suspicious activity, please contact Lord Death in the Death Room. 42-42-564. It's the least we can do to make up for our transgression. I myself speak for the majority of Death City in my apology, Amaterasu."

"Forgiveness knows no bounds, Tanya," Ame smiled. "This isn't the first time a goddess has been down on human praise. As wolves, we are always hunted and shot at, and generally just treated as a nuisance. At least now you all have the decency to address me as a human person. Thank you for that."

**This one is kind of longer than the others. Anyway. I'm going to put the traditional 'I would have put this up sooner but….'**

** We got a new kitten. I'm calling him Teacup while he's little. Then when he grows up, we can call him Mr. T or something XD And our older cat is pissed. He won't stop sulking about it. Haha, enough with my pointless existence except to slave away to make fanfictions for your personal enjoyment. Please review and all that jazz if you feel so inclined and I'll see you in the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

After the interview, Ame went home feeling rather proud of herself.

Until Kid greeted her with a slap to the face. Metaphorically, of course.

"Hello, Ame," he smiled at her. She froze. He marched toward her, pinning her against the wall. He was livid. "What the hell is wrong with you? You were supposed to meet us in the Death Room!"

"They called last night," Ame replied feebly. "They wanted to interview me privately."

"Dammit, Ame! What if they asked you something about your madness disorder?! What would they have thought then? Don't you understand anything?! They could've taken you away!"

"I… I didn't think that…."

"You never do!" Kid yelled, pushing off the wall and turning his back on her. His voice was quiet when he spoke again. "Why can't you just listen to me?"

"I'm not your pet," Ame growled, suddenly angered. "This chain you've latched around my soul means nothing to me. If they won't take me away, then I'm leaving."

Kid turned around to look at her. She was standing tall, her chin held high as she glared at him. He was silent; he couldn't tell if she was bluffing or if she was serious. She was suddenly in her wolf form, staring at him in that same way. The Solar Flare on her back trembled slightly, the water and flames emitted from it flowing off of it in waves. Ame turned and bolted out the door.

Kid sighed. "She'll come back when she's hungry."

However, even as he started preparing dinner that evening, he started to doubt if she actually would.

A Lover's Argument: Will Ame Come Back for Dinner?

Ame walked in the forest alone. The animals, overjoyed at her presence, swarmed around her. After a moment of her ignoring them, they soon resumed what they had been doing previously as if she were just another wolf. She thought about what she had said to Kid. She was tired of him treating her like a fragile child that couldn't take care of herself. He coddled her. Sometimes it was nice, but other times….

"These things are just annoying."

_Shut up! These conventions are just annoying!_

Ame continued to walk. Farther and farther from her home.

You only praise me after I've said something lovely. Think you could stop that? Hmm?

She's been filled with so much rage that she hadn't even noticed another's presence. She stopped and looked up.

"Hello, Okami Amaterasu," a voice leered. She immediately lunged at the voice, her jaws wrapping around a soft, but strong neck. The creature struggled with her for a moment until she was able to pin it down in the darkness of the brush. The glow of her Solar Flare lit the area with brilliance, allowing her to see the large, white Akita dog beneath her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with disgust. "Ichigo?"

"It's Inuyasha to you," he snorted, shoving her off and getting to his feet. "And for your information, I came here to warn you, so don't kill me for doing an old friend a good deed."

"How are you even alive?!"

"I'm immortal," the dog demon Inuyasha said. "I may have corrupted into a Kishin, but I still have the body of a god. If you kill me, I just come back. I'm like the ocean tide that way."

"I was your mother, your master!" Ame snarled furiously. "And you just so happened to get me in a bad mood, so you'd better make this quick."

"I know you found where Sidoh is breaking free," Inuyasha began, taking his sweet time just to annoy her. "I saw you there. I'll have you know that at the next full moon, he'll break through for good."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ame demanded.

"Well, you have the other gods to be your helpers, Lord Death has meisters and weapons. I just decided I might become a helper for evil, you dig?" Inuyasha explained, lazily stretching and scratching behind his ear.

"You're disgusting," Ame sneered. "And why would I trust you after what you did to us?"

"Us, huh?" Inuyasha asked. "I noticed you didn't declare you and Sonny an item on national television today." Ame wasn't amused. He sighed. "Look, I'm just giving you an upper hand. If you and Kid didn't swoop in to save the day, the world would always be enslaved by that freak show. I'm just here to keep things balanced."

"Well, thanks for your patronage," Ame sniffed, backing away from him.

"Oh, and by the way," Inuyasha prompted. "I actually came here to kill you, so I'm gonna have to rough you up and say I tried, okay?"

"You traitor—!"

A sharp bark cut through the forest. Birds scattered away from the trees, cawing madly in their wake. Other animals began to flee from the harsh sound as well. Ame and Inuyasha were fighting this alone.

When Ame returned that evening, it was late. Kid was just about to retire to his room when he heard the front door open. He turned into the foyer.

"Do you have any idea what time it…?" he trailed off when he saw Ame leaning against the doorframe, blood dripping on the tile floor by her feet. "Ame!"

He rushed forward to catch her as she began sliding down the frame, leaving streaks of blood on the wall as she did. Kid wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her upright.

"Who did this to you?" he asked. "Ame, who did this to you?"

"It was him," Ame whispered, her half-lidded eyes wheeling around the room. "Ichigo's back."

Kid's blood ran cold.

Soul Eater

"Are you sure it was him?" Lord Death asked for the hundredth time. He had come to Gallows for a cup of tea once he heard what had happened.

In his own guilt, Kid had set up the living room as a healing den for Ame. Pillows, blankets, food, tea, movies, manga, you name it. Ame was sitting like a princess among the pillows he'd put on the couch for her. Kid handed Ame another glass of tea.

"You're wounds look like they've healed," he noted.

"Yeah, but I'm not done forgiving you yet," Ame snapped. She turned to Lord Death. "Of course it was him. You think after three billion years, I can't remember my own children?"

"What was he doing here?" Kid asked, sitting down on one of the chairs in the living room.

"He was warning us about Sidoh," Ame said. "He'll rise during the next full moon, guaranteed."

"Inuyasha," Kid sighed. "He's such a fickle bastard."

"Stop bad mouthing him," Ame scolded. "That's my job and you should be grateful he didn't kill me."

"Even if you died, you always come back," Lord Death interrupted, sighing at the drama. "Honestly, you two. What were you even fighting about?"

"That's irrelevant," Ame said. "Right now, we need to get to that hole and stop Inuyasha. The full moon is tomorrow! Kid, you need to get the members of Spartoi gathered in the morning, and Shinigami, you need to tell the humans what's going on. They need to take shelter."

"Will do," Lord Death nodded. "What will you do?"

"I'm going to get a head start on things," Ame said, drinking the rest of her tea and rising. "Just in case Inuyasha was lying to us."

So, they parted ways. Ame travelled with Nagi and Rin to Mexico, and the others did as they were instructed. The two-star meisters that had been summoned by Kid split up in two groups to meet up in Mexico with Ame.

Okay, so remember in the first book whenever they were about to go and fight a wicked boss, and I told you to play a certain song? Well, to those of you who are new here, you need to find Giving Kushi a Ride from OKAMI OST on YouTube and listen to it now! It's a perfect before-boss song, I tell you.

Kid and the others met Ame at the last ring of cliffs created around the steaming, flaming wasteland that once was Monterrey, Mexico. Ame got to her feet, still in her wolf form, keeping her eyes on the flames.

"That's crazy," Kilik said. "How are we going to get over there?"

"Ame will use her power over water and fire to escort you over to the water," Kid replied coolly. "Once on the water, it should be safe, for a time, if she solidifies it like ice. We must work quickly; if we screw this up, we're done for."

"Right."

"Ready to go, Ame?" Kid asked, summoning Beelzebub and gripping his weapons a little tighter. Ame nodded and watched as the others ran over the ravine. She used her brush powers to keep the lava and flames at a stable distance, whilst keeping the air around them pure. When they got to the ocean, Ame leapt over the water and the liquid froze for the others to keep going. They paused quickly, and Ame looked up. She saw it. The burial place of Sidoh.

Inuyasha was already there, standing on the edge of a bloody red witch circle on the water. Five or so more followers were on opposite ends, chanting in an ancient tongue that even Ame didn't understand. They had made an altar for sacrifice in the center of the circle. One of the followers turned to Ame and reached out to her, moving at such speed that Ame couldn't think to dodge it. The worshipper grabbed her by the neck, assisted by other worshipers. Inuyasha watched with joy.

"Still tried to stop me, eh?" he asked. "Well, at least let us have our fun first, geez. Wait a minute to save the world."

"Let her go!" Kid shouted from above, opening fire at the worshippers holding Ame down. The others charged in, fighting the demons. Ame began attacking them on her own. The worshipers, they could see now, were not actually human. They were merely entities of darkness that darted around like shadows. Ame shone her Solar Flare on them and they cowered away. Kid kept shooting, but every time a worshiper disintegrated, another rose from the ashes.

"This is no good," Maka said. "They're merely stalling until the moon rises. Ame, you can raise the sun, right? To postpone the darkness?"

"That will not work," Inuyasha said, suddenly appearing next to Maka and striking her down. "I control the sun, little girl. I have all the brush powers. Now that I've become my own man, I can do whatever I want."

"And you're using your powers for evil?!" Maka demanded, getting to her feet again and swinging her scythe as hard as she could. This guy deserved to die a few more times. Inuyasha slid across the ground before rising and rotating his shoulder a bit.

"Everything must be in balance," he said. "Whenever Ame decided to use her powers, the Demon Lord awoke, hence bringing forth madness and destruction."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Maka demanded. "This isn't her fault."

"Oh, it is," Inuyasha nodded, his gaze rendering Maka paralyzed. He struck her down again, throwing Soul across the battlefield, and knelt next to her. "Amaterasu was the key, you see? That's why Ikiru left! Without Ame as a stand-in for all things good, there will be no Demon Lord of ultimate evil."

"You're lying!" Maka snapped. "What about Kid?"

"Kid?" Inuyasha turned to see Kid being restrained over the altar, his blood spilling into the depths of Sidoh's prison. "I don't think he'll come to your rescue this time."

He began approaching Maka again.

**CLIFFHANGER because I'm a bitch :P Just kidding, I'll have the next chapter up so soon you'll forget that this was even a cliffhanger. Wow, my inhibitions have lowered today. I just wanna run around saying crazy stuff. It's the kitten lying in my lap. Kittens are my Kryptonite.**


	13. Chapter 13

Inuyasha was closer to Maka now, uncomfortably close. Maka cringed when he felt his hand graze her arm, but she felt a familiar soul right on top of her.

"Back away," Soul growled. "I won't let you touch my meister."

Inuyasha looked away as though he were bored. No, he was looking at something else. Soul followed his gaze to look straight up. The moon had risen. It was over. They all began to feel the ground tremble beneath them, the solid water cracking and caving in. The others began to panic.

"We need to get off the ice!" Soul parked, picking up his paralyzed meister and running. None of them could make it before the ice all caved in, trapping them all under endless water.

Ame struggled to keep her head above the water. She searched desperately for Kid, knowing that he was shoved under as soon as the ice cracked. Ame dove under the water, trying to see his soul. She swam until she saw him, sinking beneath the water, blood streaming from the wound in his side. Ame grabbed a tight hold of him just as the earth split, sending her and the others to the cliffs with a huge wave.

The others were relieved to feel ground beneath their feet. Ame looked around, making sure that everyone was there. She didn't notice anyone missing. She looked down as Kid began to stir in her arms, choking up salt water as he did so.

"Ame," he rasped, sitting up on his own and staring out at the glowing pillar of water. "What have I done?"

They all watched as the water turned to blood and shed away like a cloak. It had concealed a being, no longer human, but most definitely Kishin. It had a relatively human shape, but its shoulders were high like pillars of horns. It had broken chains around its neck and limbs, and a chain around its waist securing a black notebook to its side.

"That's it," Kid said. "That's the Death Note."

The Kishin gazed at the children, its red eyes dissecting their souls. He could see their names and the number of years they had left to live in red ink above their heads. He reached down to open the book with one hand, grabbing one of his worshippers and biting him clear in half with the other hand. He then wrenched a large, bloody fang out of his mouth with a sickeningly loud crunch before flipping to a free page in his Death Note.

"No!" Kid shouted. The Kishin wrote down a name in the book, and the others waited in silence. "That thing kills in forty seconds. Whoever's name he wrote down—"

"Blegh!" Blackstar choked, collapsing of a heart attack.

"Dammit, there goes Blackstar!" Kid yelled, outraged. He got to his feet and pointed his weapons at the Kishin.

"Hey!" he shouted. "If you're going to kill someone, do it symmetrically, and quit being so lazy by simply writing their names down, you fool! At least put more effort in it than that. Liz, Patti, resonance mode."

"Is this supposed to be my competition?" Sidoh thought in a sarcastic voice similar to Crispen Freeman's. "What a drag. I guess this is Shinigami's great grandson or something. But that girl with him… ugh, I hate gods of Life."

"Ame," Kid said. "He's on the water, and he's going to stay that way. Keep him in place and I might be able to get a shot at him. The rest of you, he can kill just by looking at you. He has the old Shinigami eyes. He can see your name and how long you have left to live. Take cover; we can handle this."

"What about Blackstar?" Tsubaki demanded.

Silence fell among the group. Kid's voice was quiet; everyone had to be still to hear him.

"Take his body back to the academy. We'll deal with it there."

Ame bit back tears and growled at the Kishin on the water. Her Solar Flare began glowing again as she let out a loud, grating howl.

Soul Eater

Ame, Nagi, and Rin charged out on the water, whilst Kid found the flattest cliff to stand on. As his soul expanded like a protective barrier around himself, the others took to the dense, burnt debris. They found a good spot to rest behind some black trees that had toppled over. They were all tired from the battle.

All they could do was sit and listen.

Tsubaki was still mourning over her dead meister. Soul and Maka were with her; Blackstar had been a best friend to Soul, and like a big brother to Maka. They couldn't believe that something as little as a heart attack was able to kill him. Soul hoped that Ame got that Kishin good for what he'd done. He hoped that she would lock him up and torture him to death with all her godly power.

Silence remained among the group until they heard a loud cry from the Kishin.

Sidoh let out a distressed roar as Ame began attacking him. She threw his body down, submerging it in the water, and leapt high in the air. She drew a lightning bolt, summoning the power of Gekigami, and striking the water with electricity. The Kishin twisted and writhed as he was electrocuted. When Ame touched back down to the surface of the water, the electricity was drawn back into her through her paws. She was crouching, her entire body rippling with fury and aggression as she watched the huge beast before her. He was bleeding and breathing heavily, but he remained strong. His red eyes pierced into hers with some kind of unfathomable wonder.

"Death Cannon!"

The multi-colored blast created a large cloud of smoke, momentarily engulfing both Ame and Sidoh within. When the smoke cleared, Sidoh was doubled over, still heaving and beginning to sink into the ocean. He slammed his fist against the surface of the water, creating a large ripple, and picked himself back up again.

"Die, Sidoh!" Kid yelled across the water. He shot a storm of bullets and soul wavelengths at the Kishin. "Die, die, die, DIE!"

"Take it easy, Kid, geez," Liz said.

"After what he did to Blackstar?" Kid demanded. "Give me a break!"

The Kishin collapsed once more before rising again. Ame trotted back to Kid and slid across the water, two symmetrical waves forming on either side of her as she skidded to a halt in front of him.

"It's just a rinse and repeat process," he said. "We need to find his weakness; I know he has one."

"Oh, Blackstar," Tsubaki sobbed.

"What?" he mumbled.

Everyone in the group froze and looked up.

"Did that corpse just talk?" Kim asked.

"What corpse?" Blackstar demanded, sitting up and glaring at her as if nothing had happened. "I get benched plenty of times, I'm not backing down this easy."

"Um," Soul gave him a look. "Dude, did you know you just died?"

Blackstar laughed rambunctiously. "Of course I'm not dead; that's impossible!"

With that, he charged right over their barricade and out next to Kid on the cliff.

"Who cares about this guy? It's about time we end this!"

Kid and Ame started, staring at the animated corpse in front of them.

"Blackstar?!" they demanded.

"But you're dead!" Kid exclaimed.

"BULLSHIT!" Blackstar yelled. "NOT ANYMORE!"

"Balls," Ame groaned, rolling her eyes. That made it clear to Kid that Ame clearly hadn't been an influence on Blackstar's revival. She was completely fine with him being dead the rest of his life.

"That means he's lost his power," Kid said. "That Death Note must have lost its divine power when the Shinigami stopped using it."

"So he's no longer the god he wanted to be," Ame realized. "He's no more than Asura was."

"So what are we waiting for?" Soul asked as he and the others caught up. "Let's kill that Kishin!"

Ame leapt down onto the water again, turning it to ice. There was a new fire ablaze inside her. This was a game changer. They could win this! They attacked with everything they had. When someone was down, another had their back. They all worked like a well-oiled machine.

Maka began slashing at Sidoh unhappily.

"Don't! You! Ever!" she shouted. "Kill! My! Friend! Again!"

"Maka!" Soul called. Maka back flipped away as Sidoh swung his arm at her. She skidded to a halt and looked at Soul. She threw him away and began running up the Kishin's arm.

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Soul, I'm on a freaking roll!" Maka shouted, balling up her fist and hurling it at Sidoh's face. The Kishin was thrown backwards, sliding across the ice like a ragdoll. He curled up in a small ball, opening his eyes to glare at them. Maka stood tall, Soul joining her in his weapon form.

"It's over, Sidoh," Kid said. "Give up."

Sidoh's eyes rolled back and his body began to tremble with giggles. He threw his head back, laughing uncontrollably. He lurched into a sitting position on the frozen ice.

"Yes," he said. "It's over. I always knew I was going to be killed by Shinigami ever since I took that notebook. Here."

He threw the useless book across the ice. It came to a halt at Kid's feet.

"I expect you want it back now, huh?"

Kid didn't move. He kept his eyes fixed on Sidoh. Was he honestly just… giving up like this?

"Here's my question, though," Sidoh said. "Why didn't you just kill me before? Do you know that, little reaper?"

Kid gritted his teeth. "You're weak now. I guess Amaterasu will just have to lock you up again. Ame?"

The wolf was still.

"Ame?" Kid turned to look at her. She was lying on the ground, breathing softly. "Stop sleeping during a crisis! Wake up, dammit!"

Ame was startled awake by the noise. She got to her feet and hesitantly stepped forward. She hesitated a little more, looking at his wounds unhappily.

"Ame, was it?" he asked. "Rethinking your last decision?"

Ame was silent. She knew everything that had happened. Memories flashed before her eyes. Sidoh had been a human, using the Death Note to rid the world of criminals. After a while, he killed more recklessly to maintain his power, but his intentions remained… decent. He'd been making the world a better place for people. But, in the end, no crime is justified. However, that doesn't mean this crime couldn't be forgiven.

Justice knew things of it and things not of it. It was black and white. However, forgiveness knew no bounds.

"You were protecting yourself and the good in the world," Ame said. "You were trying your best to do what Death and I could never do. That's all."

"What is this?!" Sidoh demanded. "Aren't you going to kill me?"

"I'm not who I used to be," Ame said. "Over time, things change. People change. Town of people, flow of Time."

Sidoh's glare softened. The chains around him rattled as he slumped forward. Ame began to walk towards him slowly. She knelt in front of him in her human form, grazing her hand across his cheek gently. He began to tremble slightly.

"You could never die because your sins were never forgiven," she said. "Rin refused you peace in death. That was her duty. Now I'm fixing her mistake."

"Am I really going somewhere else?" Sidoh murmured, turning up to face the sky. Ashes rained down and landed around them gently. "Somewhere better than this rotten world? Thank you, Amaterasu."

Ame said as his body disappeared in a fountain of black sakura petals. She held the bloody chains that were left.

It's all just annoying.

"What a drag," Inuyasha muttered from where he'd been watching back on land. "I thought it would have lasted longer than that. Oh well, I'll give them time to celebrate." He looked to the sky. "Guess I'd better find another threat."

He looked back at them. He looked at little Ame as she stood and faced the others. They were growing up, but they were still naïve children.

"No," he said out loud. "I'll leave them be for now. Maybe I'll open a little shop in the mountains somewhere."

Uh huh, 'little shop.'

**This one had a lot of Fuji-Domo references and a couple of shattered fourth walls. I told you, kittens lower my inhibitions.**


	14. Chapter 14

It was a couple days after the defeat of Sidoh when a few things began to dawn on Ame. She was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her room was dark, and she was all tucked in. She was about to just lie there until she could sleep when she heard a soft knock on her door. She sat up and rubbed her eye.

"Come in," she invited quietly. Kid entered.

"I'm sorry for waking you," he said in a whisper.

"I wasn't sleeping," Ame shook her head. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Kid looked away, blushing slightly. "It's just… I want to apologize."

He sat down on the edge of her bed, looking down at his hands.

"I haven't been very fair to you lately," he said. "And all we've done is fight. I'm sorry for trying to take advantage of you like that. It's just…."

"Don't apologize," Ame said, nuzzling her head against his upper arm. "I should have been more careful. And I know I've been getting on your nerves lately."

"It's just… after seeing what the Puppet Master had… created, I've been worried about you. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"You've established that," Ame said. "I can take care of myself." She pulled away and stared at him. "Besides, you were vulnerable once too. Think about Suki, what she did to you…"

"You're still thinking about that, huh?" Kid sighed and looked away uncomfortably.

"Let's just fight our own battles from now on."

"Alright," Kid nodded. "Do you mind if I stay with you a while?"

"Huh?" Ame blushed, her ears sticking straight up. She nodded and curled over in bed, trying to hide her red face in the comforter. Kid lay on his side next to her on top of the covers. His hand propped his head up so he could watch her. Ame's face paled to its normal shade and her voice lowered again.

"We just saved the world again, huh?" she asked.

"Yep," Kid whispered back. "You did a good thing, setting him free."

"I still don't feel right," she said, her speech slurring slightly as she began to drift off. Kid rubbed her stomach over the sheets gently, hoping that she would fall asleep soon. "… Fireflies…."

"Hm?"

"When they die… they become… fireflies…."

Kid tiled his head slightly. That was an odd thing to say. Who's 'they' anyway? He didn't ask her about it; she was already snoring softly. He admired how she fell asleep so fast. It reminded him of a small child that way. He could lie in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling before turning over to look at the curtains. After another hour passed, he'd turn over and look at the other side of the room.

He wanted to keep watching Ame sleep peacefully, but when he felt his eyelids getting heavy, he decided to go to his own bedroom.

Don't you scroll down and start with me in the review section. Just calm your tickled unicorns.

If We're Healing; Progression of Romantic Ventures?

It was Maka's turn to cook. She decided to keep things simple and make spaghetti for dinner. Soul was up in his bedroom, doing what he did best. Nothing. Downstairs in the kitchen, Maka answered the phone when it rang.

"Albarn-Eater residence," Maka answered.

"Hi, Maka, it's me," Ame's familiar, childish voice filled Maka's ears.

"Oh, hey, Ame," Maka smiled. "What's up?"

"Um, I had a question, about… men."

"Uh-oh," Maka said, closing the oven to let the garlic bread bake. "What did Kid do this time?"

"The other night, he was in my room. He was lying on my bed with me, even after I turned the lights off to go to sleep. He stayed with me, and after a while…"

"Oh god," Maka dropped the wooden spoon in the sauce haphazardly. "Ame, did you and Kid do anything weird?"

"Huh? Weird?" Ame's voice was kind of dry and confused. Maka could almost see Ame blink. "No, he just lied there until I fell asleep."

Maka literally collapsed into a chair in her relief.

"Okay, good. What's this about?"

"What do you mean 'what's this about,' I want to know if this is really wrong!"

Maka tried not to laugh. It was brave of Ame to defend her virginity so devotedly, but it was a bit of an odd case. What was Kid doing in Ame's room like that?

"No, I think it's fine," Maka said. "As long as he doesn't make you uncomfortable."

"Um, no… not really…."

"Ame?" Maka asked. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

_Please don't say you've been having sex. Please don't say you've been having sex._

"I think I'd feel lonely if he stopped."

_Thank god._

"That's alright, Ame," Maka's voice softened and she smiled, not really registering what Ame had said. "I know how you feel sometimes."

"Oh, this is about Soul now!" Ame seemed to be all sunshine and rainbows again now that the relationship 101 wasn't centered on her and Kid. Maka laughed.

"Come on, Ame," she said. "You know that we've been going out a little."

"How is there a little or a lot in these situations?" Ame asked. "So what is he up to right now?"

Maka pulled away from the receiver, about to shout across the house, when she heard something unfortunately familiar.

"BUT I'M SO BORED!" Blair's voice echoed down the hallway. "PLAY WITH ME!"

Maka rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry I asked," Ame apologized. "Hm? Oh, sorry, Maka, I've got to go."

"Okay, bye," Maka said rather slowly, hanging up the phone. She leaned back in her chair. "What

"Maka! Stop burning the food!" Soul yelled at her, bringing her out of her reverie. She had inadvertently left the bread in the oven too long, filling the oven, and soon the entire kitchen, with smoke. Maka rushed around to help Soul put out the fire and clean the kitchen a bit.

"Sorry about that," she said. "I was just talking to Ame and I lost track of the time."

"It's cool, at least the rest of the food is good," Soul gave her a relaxed grin. They set the rest of the food on the table and began eating.

"So, what were you and Ame talking about?" Soul asked, twirling some spaghetti around his fork.

"Boys," Maka said. "You wouldn't get it. It's a girl thing."

"Whatever," Soul rolled his eyes. "I'm a boy, I think I'd get it."

"No, no," Maka shook her head. "What about you and Kid? Will you tell me what you tell him about me?"

"Just that women are impulsive and hormonal."

"Shut up! You jerk!"

Soul Eater

_She saw it. A rural area of little population. It was a world without wolves. Without wolves, there was no goodness. _

_ There were no __**humans**_

_ Without goodness, there was no ultimate evil. There was only something in between. Everyone was cruel, everyone was evil. But in its great numbers, evil was somehow justified. Even in a young girl like Her, the evil was what had driven all the wolves away. In the end, they all just withered away and died._

_ She was young and beautiful. She was the closest thing to kindness that this world had. There was a time that she had found a wild dog and approached it. That was a terrible mistake on her part._

_ "Are you hungry, doggie?" she asked. She reached into her pocket and brought out some food she'd wrapped and saved for the dog earlier. The animal reached out and took it. It was as she was smiling and reaching out to pet the dog that something dawned on her. This dog was big._

_ With a jolting pulse, she could see the dog's soul. This was no dog._

_ She got to her feet and began backing away. The wolf tilted its head and stepped toward her._

_ "No, stay away," she said. The wolf kept approaching her. The girl was frozen in fear. "Daddy… daddy… Daddy! Daddy! Come quick! It's a wolf!"_

_ The wolf jumped at her sudden shout._

_ "The wolf is here!"_

_**The wolf is here**_

Ame jolted awake in her bed, trembling. She stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to catch her breath. She sense movement beside her and saw Kid still lying next to her. He pet her stomach like he usually did.

"Hey," he said. "Are you alright?"

"You're still in here?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep," he replied. "It looked like you were troubled. Is something wrong?"

Ame looked at the ceiling again. "I was just thinking about what Sidoh had said. What if impurity drives me away again? What if I die, and then there is little left in the world but mutual good and evil? Wouldn't it be more balanced like that?"

"Don't say that," Kid said. "I won't let you die like that. I couldn't live without you."

Ame heaved a great, big sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Every poor romance novelist writes something like that," she said, curling up next to him. "Be more original."

Kid laughed and wrapped and arm around her. "Sure."

The dream brought Ame back to Kid's pestering question. If humans weren't descended from monkeys, then what were they descended from? Why wouldn't Ame tell him? He just couldn't know. Things were different from a thousand years ago, let alone from the beginning of time. Now there were meisters and weapons to take care of the world's demons. However, with how much weaker they are next to Ame… things might just have to change a little more.

"It is a war of balance, and a war of change," Ame mused. Her ears drooped and she whined to herself. "Being a god is so tedious. I have to think of everything."

**This one is a bit of a shorty, but I'm glad I could get up this much. My vacation ends in four days, then I won't have access to a computer for two months! So, I have to write as much as I can, you know? Leave a review if you'd like.**

** By the way, kitten update: his name is now Reagan. After the best president of the USA. I'm trying to get Mom to keep it, but she wants to name him something like Spike or Loki. My poor, nerdy-inept mom…**


	15. Chapter 15

Kid visited his father about Ame's secret. He wasn't that sure how to ask, so he just stood there in the Death Room alone with Lord Death until the elder Shinigami prompted his question with a slight tilt of his head.

"What's eating at you, Kid?" he asked. "I know you're upset about something. Did anything happen with Ame?"

"No, Father, I was just…" Kid sighed. He kept his gaze down. "About the Puppet Master, he said I wasn't totally immortal because I wasn't human. I don't think he was referring to me being a Shinigami. He seemed to say that Shinigami do take a human form, but we're not actually human. I asked Ame about it, and she got really upset. I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"I hate to keep things from you, Kid," Lord Death said. "But I honestly don't know. I think that the only one old enough to answer that question would be Life. But if it upsets Ame, you really shouldn't go digging into it. She's keeping secrets for a reason, right?"

"How can you trust her so blindly?" Kid asked. "You know what she can do to the world. You know what she's done. You don't expect me to believe that you trust her simply because she's a god of innocence, do you?"

"…" he sighed. "Kid, I owe her. All these times she's reversed time, whatever the reasons, were all for the best of the world. And she saved you. I don't know what I'd do if I lose you. If you just disappear like Yuki did. I owe Ame that. And you do, too."

"I understand, Dad," Kid said.

"So don't fight anymore," Lord Death's tone was lighter now. "Enjoy yourselves, be young! You don't have to let little things come between you like adults."

Different Beings; Arguments, and Make-Up Arrangements?

Kid and Ame stopped fighting after that. Actually, they got along well, for being such contrasting individuals. They did more than complement each other; they'd dedicated their lives to each other. However, they did have their rough moments.

Like this one particular day that everyone knew Ame was out to kill.

Kid was running down the hallway alone. He usually walked with his partners in his calm and composed manner. It was odd; the people he passed weren't even sure if it was really him they'd seen. He rounded a corner and leaned against the wall, momentarily catching his breath.

"Hey, Kid, what's up?" Soul asked. "Whoa, you look bad. What happened?"

"It's her," Kid choked out. "She's after me."

"What?" Maka asked. "Who?"

"WHERE IS HE?!"

"Oh no," Soul flinched.

"Got to go!" Kid began running again.

Ame rounded the corner at break neck speed. She skidded to a halt and scanned the hallway.

"Hey, Ame," Kilik greeted her. "You're really going today. Looking for someone?"

"Where's my useless counterpart?!" Ame demanded.

"Oh, Kid?" Kilik remained casual. "I haven't seen him—oh, god, my spine isn't supposed to bend that way!"

Ame grinned maniacally. She tightened her grip on the meister.

"I'm warning you," Ame repeated in a sweet voice. "I've lost my mind, and I'm pretty sure Kid took it. Now tell me where I can find him, or I'll tear your spine into tiny, little _pieces_!"

"He went that way," Kilik whispered, pointing. Ame released him and tore down the hallway. Kilik got to his feet and rotated his shoulder with a frown.

Ame never did find Kid. It was after the last class of the day that she was able to locate him.

"Do you think it's safe?" Kid asked, peeking into the hallway.

"I really don't see why you're so worried," Soul said, walking out into the hallway casually.

"Easy for you to say," Kid said, sighing and following his weapons once he thought it was safe. "She likes you."

"So?"

"Actually, Kid has a point," Liz admitted. "You guys don't know what she'll _do_ to him"

"What could she do?" Soul asked.

Kid suddenly stopped walking as if he were momentarily paralyzed.

"Hello, honey," Ame greeted him sweetly. "I finally found you!"

"Uh-oh."

Kid tried to make a run for it, but Ame power slashed him and held him up against the wall.

"No one ever suspects the short ones," Kid whispered.

"Silence!" Ame snapped. "I'm sorry, you seem to have mistaken me for a woman who will take your crap!"

Kid whimpered.

"Soul," Liz whispered. "She likes you. I need you to do something."

"No way," Soul shook his head, remaining a safe distance from Ame.

"But he's your friend!" Liz cried.

"And?" Soul wasn't going to endanger his life. "This is between Kid and Ame."

"A-Ame," Kid tried to reason with her. "Just let me go, okay? We can deal with this… later?"

"I know what you did!" Ame growled dangerously. Her eyes seemed to glow red with rage. "That pizza was mine. What the hell were you doing at three in the morning eating it?"

"I never took Kid for a midnight snack person," Soul noted.

"I'll get you some more pizza!" Kid offered. "I'll get you whatever kind you want! I was just hungry is all, and there was nothing else really in there, so…."

"I cooked a wonderful meal for you the night before, what about that? I know it's still in there."

"I… um…"

"Did you not like it?" Ame asked calmly. No one could tell from behind, but Ame's face really portrayed every negative aspect of a psychopathic killer.

Kid cleared his throat. "Not… extremely, really?"

There was a collective gasp among the spectators that had gathered in the hallway.

"I'm going to bleeping kill you!"

She wrapped her arms and legs around Kid, throwing him to the ground and twisting his limbs in a very uncomfortable-looking way. Soul just watched with a bland expression.

"I love this academy," he said, walking away. "It's the staff I'm afraid of."

"Ame sure does pack a punch," Maka agreed, following him out.

"I'm so sorry! I'll never steal your freaking pizza again! Dammit Ame, you have a really firm grip for a girl."

"What do you mean 'for a girl'? I'm a goddess, you British twit! Of course I have a firm grip!"

"Ah! My spine isn't supposed to bend that way! What is it with you and the spines?!"

"The spine controls the rest of your body. I do this so I can kill you quickly!"

"Well you sure aren't making it quick now!"

"Shut up!"

Soul Eater

Ame was in her room reading when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up.

"I'm not ready yet, Kid," she replied. The door opened and her brother walked in with his hands covering his eyes. It was as if he was afraid he'd walk in on her naked or something.

"Ready for what?" he asked. Ame laughed.

"Nothing. Come on in." She shuffled slightly, making room so Nagi could sit on the bed. "What's up? Need advice for your relationship with Liz?"

Nagi blushed, but ground his fist against her head.

"Shut up. I'm serious. I need your help."

Ame's grin faded and she shoved her ears forward gently. She tilted her head and put her book aside.

"We were talking today," he began slowly. "We were actually talking about you and Kid, how perfect you two are for each other, in a way. For one thing… you're both immortal."

Ame frowned. She knew what this was about. Nagi and Rin were given a sort of immortality as a gift from Ikiru. They would live as long as Ame, so Ame would always have someone since she couldn't interact with the human world. There was something about being immortal that had a disadvantage. If you fell in love with a human, you were guaranteed to outlive them.

"Ame, I… Rin and I don't want to leave you, but… we've each found someone. Like you've found Kid. Only…"

"Just say it," Ame said. "It's okay. Just say it."

"Are you sure, Ame?" Nagi asked. "I mean, what if Liz…. What if I get hurt again, I can't come back?"

"That's just a risk you're going to have to take," Ame said.

"I still don't know," Nagi said. He'd never felt so uncertain about anything before.

"Well, I think it's a good idea," Kid said. The other two looked up. Kid was standing in the doorway, watching them peacefully.

"Why are you here?" Nagi asked. "Are you eavesdropping?"

"I'm serious, Nagi," Kid said. "Liz wouldn't want you to have to live a long life without her instead of a short life with her."

"…" Nagi sighed. "Do you know how many times I've had to meet her? The first time I saw her, she ran away. I was a monster. Then you met Ame. And now, I finally get to be with her, and she's going to die centuries before I'll live my life."

"I knew how you feel," Kid said. "Liz was the first and only other girl that actually cared about what happened to me. She was the only human I thought I had a chance with. But I refused to love her; I could never hold onto someone I knew I couldn't keep."

"Then why are you with Ame?" Nagi asked.

"Take good care of Liz, Nagi," Kid said. "I just hope you two will have a better ending than Ame and me."

"What do you mean a better ending?" Ame asked. "I thought we were perfectly happy together."

"You just keep thinking that," Kid said.

"What?! Why, you!"

**Kira chapters with some serious sprinkled in; my favorite kind of chapter! Anyway, this is the last update for tonight.**


	16. Chapter 16

_Ame cringed as she felt a slight breeze travel through the dark, musty room. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed and the chains around her wrists rattled. The man in front of her grinned at her vulnerability. He was going to enjoy this._

_ Ame felt herself shake uncontrollably as a whimper escaped her tight throat._

The moon rose above the garden of white flowers. Ame gazed at the sky once more before turning to her brothers. They were standing in front of her in their animal forms. Liz, Patti, and Kid were standing a few feet behind Ame.

"Are you sure about this?" Ame asked. "This is your last chance. I can't restore your immortality once I take it away."

Nagi was about to nod when Liz stepped forward.

"Nagi, you don't have to do this," she said. Nagi stared into her eyes. He saw fear. He knew that she was concerned about his health. If he wasn't immortal anymore, how would he fair in a real fight? What if he was just as indestructible as she was? Liz cringed every time she broke a nail. Nagi suffered from three thousand poisoned gashes in their battle against the Spider Queen and could still carry Ame home. He had the physique of a god.

If he gave that up, he could get seriously hurt, or worse, die. A broken bone could spell the end for a wolf in the wild. Of course, Ame would allow Nagi to maintain a human form whenever he liked, but still.

Nagi craned his neck slightly to nuzzled Liz's arm. She stroked his ears and hugged his neck.

"I want this, Liz," he said. "I want you."

"Alright," Liz agreed. She stepped back a bit and let Ame do her thing.

Ame closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to clear her mind. A breeze started up, creating something of a leaf tornado around Nagi and Rin. The moon's grin stretched until it was full, splitting the yellow circle with a flash of bloody teeth. Ame finally opened her eyes, which started glowing am opaque white as she looked up at the sky. She opened her mouth and a smooth, long howl rang from her throat.

Nagi and Rin raised their heads to howl with her. Their snowy white fur melted to varying shades of brown. Their bodies maintained their incredible size. Silence crept into the garden as the wind died down. A bright energy transferred from Nagi and Rin's souls to Ame's. After that, Nagi and Rin collapsed, and Ame's eyes faded to their natural color.

"Nagi!" Liz called, running towards the wolves.

"Rin!" Patti echoed, following her sister.

Liz knelt next to Nagi and put his head in her lap. Nagi opened his eyes and looked up at her. He was suddenly in his human form. His hair was a deep brown. Instead of his usual attire of red or white, he was wearing a blue collared shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned and jeans. His tail and ears were dark brown too, and a bit more scraggily than before.

"How do I look?" he asked.

"Normal," Liz replied, smiling. She never thought about what Nagi had really looked like before he changed. She just always saw him as a white wolf, or another ethereal being with white hair and golden eyes.

Rin was hugging Patti happily, his sandy brown tail wagging back and forth. His eyes were a bit more of a hazel color than the previous golden. His red shirt was faded and hung loosely about his gangly form. Patti beamed at him. She was happier than before.

"Now we can be together forever!" she said. "Even if we don't live forever!"

"Well done, Ame," Kid said, putting a hand on Ame's shoulder.

"Thanks…" Ame swayed on her feet slightly, and Kid held her arms firmly.

"Ame?" he prompted. She smiled reassuringly at him.

"I'm fine," she said. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all. Absorbing someone else's soul back into your own is almost like connecting a Line of Sanzu. It takes it out of you, you know?"

"I understand," Kid nodded. "Come on, let's go inside so you can rest."

He brought her inside and sat down at the kitchen counter with two glasses of water.

"Thanks," Ame said, taking a sip of her drink.

"You know, as you were performing the rites, I thought of something," Kid admitted. "What if you were able to bless Liz and Patti with immortality?"

"Why would you say that?" Ame sighed tiredly, leaning forward on the counter.

"You could if you wanted to," Kid said. "You are a full Inochigami. I get that you evolved prematurely, so you aren't grown into your powers yet, but you could have made them immortal the same way you made Nagi and Rin mortal."

"It's not the same," Ame said. "Besides, that isn't what Nagi asked of me. Why, would you be happier that way?"

"It… it's nothing," Kid sighed. He could tell she didn't want to talk about it. Ame's glower softened considerably and she scooted closer to him. She worked her fingers around his hand until he released his firm grip on his glass. "I was just thinking. I mean, a hundred years from now, you and I won't have aged twenty years and the rest of our friends will all be gone. I thought that having your brothers there for at least a couple centuries would make it more bearable, but I was selfish. I wasn't thinking about how it makes you feel."

Ame gave his hand a gentle squeeze. She leaned against his shoulder comfortingly. Behind them, her tail was swishing from side to side slowly.

"I hate it when people have to go," she admitted. "But I hate it more when people have to live unhappy."

"You're right," Kid nodded. He turned his head and kissed the top of Ame's hair. "I'll miss them."

Soul Eater

"Hey, Ame!" Soul called to the wolf girl as they were meeting at the park after school. Ame regarded him silently. "I was wondering about something. Do wolves chase laser pointer-things like cats and dogs?"

"That is absolutely absurd," Ame said matter-of-factly.

"Is it? Really?" Kid asked, putting his hands in his pockets. Ame nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Kid pulled a laser pointer out of his pocket and clicked it on, shining it on the ground near Ame's line of vision. Ame freaked out, diving at the laser in her wolf form and chasing it to no end. Kid ran it up and down pillars, in small circles, whatever he felt like. Ame chased it religiously, following it's every move with her head.

Soul was cracking up. "You had a laser pointer on you? How?"

"I got it way back when she was still pestering me about Suki," Kid said. "I have a whole bunch of junk just to distract her. She's like a small child; I just need to have these on me."

"What else do you have?"

Kid continued to jiggle the laser pointer absent-mindedly as he emptied his pockets.

"She likes puzzles, but she figures them out too quickly. But she can't see a solid form in a black and white illusion. They fool her every time. But pretty much anything can be a distraction for her if I make it seem desirable."

"How?"

"Do you want to see Ame's puppy face?"

"Hell, yeah!"

Kid handed Soul a small green baton of sorts. Soul was unimpressed.

"What am I supposed to do with a stick?" he asked quietly.

"Just act like it's amazing," Kid whispered to him.

"Hey, Blackstar!" Soul called, bringing the ninja's attention away from Ame. "Look at what I got!"

"Cool!" Blackstar said, ambling over to them and examining the baton. "What is it?"

"It's… um…." Soul glanced desperately at Kid, who shrugged. Aggitated, Soul tried to make something up. "It's amazing, that's what it is. It's the most amazing thing ever."

"What makes it so amazing?"

"That's not the point! It's cool, okay?!"

Kid clicked the laser pointer off so Ame could see what they were arguing over. She inched towards them and eyed the so-called amazing baton curiously. She didn't see anything amazing about the baton, except the fact that everyone thought it was amazing. She understood that in such human circumstances, it was probably best if she got it.

"Hey," she said rather shyly. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh, this?" Soul turned to her and shoved Blackstar away. "It's apparently the most amazing thing on the surface of the earth."

Ame tilted her head slightly, her eyes beginning to pool with longing.

"Now?" Soul whispered to Kid.

"Wait for it," Kid held up a hand.

"You want it?" Soul asked, and Ame began to look a bit satisfied. He hesitated. He knew he was being mean, and he didn't want to hurt Ame's feelings. Kid nodded him forth and Soul pressed on. "Well, you can't have it. Sorry."

At first, Ame looked crushed. She recoiled to her wolf form, slumping slightly and drooping her ears to one side. She looked up at him with those deep, mismatching eyes. Her tail began to quiver slightly, almost like a human's shoulder shook when they were about to cry. A small, desperate whine escaped Ame's throat. Soul gave a sad smile.

"Aw."


	17. Chapter 17

Kid came downstairs Saturday morning for some breakfast. It was his day to cook, so he didn't expect Ame to already be up cooking pancakes in the kitchen. Kid was pleasantly surprised.

"Morning, hun," he greeted. Ame wagged her tail absentmindedly as she stacked at least twenty pancakes on a plate. Kid gasped. "Whoa, that's a lot of pancakes. Aren't you on a diet?"

"No, who told you that?" Ame asked.

"So Soul didn't talk to her," Kid muttered. He waved his hand in front of his face, smiling innocently. "It's nothing. I was kidding. But still, how many pancakes are you planning on making?"

"They aren't for me," Ame slipped through the door to the dining room, two plates of pancakes in her hands. Kid glanced around the door kind of fearfully. Did she summon a couple gods for a sleepover?

He saw four girls in matching uniforms sitting around the table, eating pancakes and chatting happily. Now that Kid got a lead on the insanity that was about to go down, he saw that Ame was wearing a vest quite similar to those of the four other girls.

"Death the Kid!" one of the girls chirped. "Nice place! Thanks for letting us crash here today."

"Thank you, Death the Kid!" the other three chimed. Although it was cute, it was kind of creepy. Kid recognized these as the Death Scouts. They're kind of like Girl Scouts, but a little different.

"Uh, hey," Kid waved nervously before pulling Ame away. "Ame, can I talk to you in the kitchen? Now."

He all but dragged her into the kitchen and slammed his fist down on her head.

"What do they mean that I let them crash here?" he demanded.

"Oh, every Wednesday, Monday, and Friday is traditional Death Scout day," Ame explained. "They have meetings at each other's houses, but Minami's parents are out of town, Alice's grandma is visiting, so there isn't enough room at her house, and Alex and Kole are…"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it, I get it," Kid sighed. "How long are they staying?"

"After breakfast, we're going out to Death Mart to sell cookies," Ame smiled.

"How long have you been initiated?" Kid asked. "You seem familiar with their customs."

"I've been in and out," Ame shrugged. "I'm kind of a quasi-member. You know, being a goddess kind of disrupts my social life."

"Okay," Kid said. "They aren't, like, having a sleepover or anything, right?"

"No, why would they?" Ame asked.

"Ame, you know there's a rule about not inviting friends over without anyone's knowledge…."

"Thanks for breakfast, Death the Kid!" one of the girls said, walking into the kitchen with a handful of dishes. She wore her long hair back in a hat that was flipped sideways. She wore loose, ripped jeans and a Deadmau5 t-shirt under her vest.

"Please," Kid said, holding her still by her shoulders and straightening her hat so it faced forward. "Call me Kid."

"No prob," she said. "I'm Alex. Please," she put her dishes on the counter and began running water in the sink. "Call me Alex."

"You don't have to do that," Kid said, trying to pull her away from the kitchen. "Liz and I can clean the kitchen after we're done with our breakfast."

"Oh, nonsense," another girl said, walking into the kitchen carrying most of the syrups and butters. She put the butters in the fridge and the syrups in the microwave to heat for a few seconds before Liz and Patti ate. She was a bit more girlish compared to Alex. She had dark skin and curly brunette hair tied back in a sloppy ponytail. She wore a camouflage top and cargo shorts. And combat boots. "I'm Kole. And Death Scouts leave a place as good as they found it or better."

"Thank you,' Kid said, taking plates from another girl. "That's very considerate of you."

"With you being all proper and all," an Asian girl with her hair tied up in twin ponytails. She must be Minami. "I kind of thought you'd studied Death Scout regulations or something."

"Heck, no," the final girl, Alice, rolled her eyes in disgust, wiping down the counters. She was wearing a black leather jacket, with her vest underneath, and combat boots. She moved out of the way so Minami could get some new plates from the cupboard. "All the boys ever do is camp and eat with their hands. They are absolute pigs. Did you see what they did last year? Please, Kid isn't the Death Scout type. At least, not the boy kind."

Kid smiled and remained silent. Was she trying to imply that Kid was absurdly feminine?

"We need to hurry," she said. She was tall with her violet hair cut just below her chin. She was tall and the kind of girl that presented herself with sophistication and cool beauty. She also looked like she could punch your face in. Even though they had sunshine badges on their sashes, Kid thought this troop looked a bit more like a street gang than the sweet girls he saw on the cookie advertisements.

"Is Death Mart far from here, or can we walk?" Minami asked.

"Well, this is the far edge of the residential area," Kid replied. "Death Mart is at least ten blocks. I doubt you all want to walk that far with all of your equipment."

"Actually, could we use that old red wagon in the attic?" Ame asked. "I, um, brought it down last weekend because your dad said he wanted to make sure it was still usable."

"Go ahead," Kid shrugged, retrieving the syrup from the microwave. "Just don't scratch it up while playing your little war games. It was expensive, you know."

"What do we look like, boys?" Alex scoffed, flipping her hair behind her shoulder as she set the table again.

Kid was going to say they looked like a street gang, but when he saw the condition of the table that was quite possibly better than he made it every night, he simply shook his head.

Soul Eater

"Enjoy your cookies," Minami smiled at the kind old lady that had bought some of their low calorie cookies.

"Man," Alice sighed quietly. They'd been working hard so far, and they were all getting a little tired. "Selling cookies has been hard these last couple of years."

"Yeah," Alex said. "Now everyone's all diet this and diet that."

"I just wish we had some younger girls in our troop again," Kole said, leaning back in her chair. "They brought business, let me tell you."

Kole had been with Troop 564 longer than any of them; she was considered to be a veteran to the others. Minami had been in different groups around the world since she was three, so she was the best at introducing new things. They all worked together at this to fill in what the others don't have.

Anyway, I guess that little memory lane wasn't important, but it will be in a second. Alex was the first to notice that they were being approached, and their customers didn't look friendly.

"We've got company," she said, setting down her soda can. Kole sat up and Minami's and Alice's faces melted from bright smiles to dangerous glowers.

The five boys wearing black shorts and red bandanas around their necks stopped at the curb in front of their cookie stand. They stood in a line, arms crossed, faces dirty.

"Well, look who came to sell some of their nasty, girlie cookies," the first one, the leader, said.

"Everyone knows your cookies are why Americans are so fat," another sneered.

"Yeah," another said.

"That's why we men go out and do real scout stuff," the fourth added.

"Not sit around all day and knit ugly sweaters," the fifth said. The group chose this as the cue to start laughing obnoxiously.

"I'll have you know," Kole said. "Death girls do way more than knit. We learn the crafty arts of Death. We can kill you 900 different ways with a paperclip and not leave a trace."

"Oh, scary," the boy laughed.

"And today, we have a secret weapon," Alice said, turning to Ame.

The boys let out another round of chuckles as Ame walked forward. The first boy reached for her, to which she side-stepped and snatched his bandana. She twisted it around his neck and pinned him to the ground. She stayed in her human form the entire time. She straddled him and held her hand out to the other girls.

"Cookie!" she demanded. Minami knelt down and shoved it into the boy's mouth, to which he groaned in displeasure. Ame grinned in spite of herself.

"Get them," she ordered. The other girls rushed forward, following Ame's example at disarming the boys.

Kid was in the middle of class when a voice came over the intercom.

"Could Death the Kid please come to the Death Room? It is very important… it's about Ame; she was tormenting civilians again, so…"

Kid face-palmed quietly and got up from his seat. He wondered idly what that idiot had done now. When he got there, Spirit, Sid, and Lord Death were all crowded around the mirror, watching something.

"I'm here," he announced. "What's so interesting about—uh?!"

It was a live security feed from a local supermarket. There were five girls… one of which had white hair and a white wolf tail… and they were all beating up their aforementioned rivals, the Death Scout boy troop. Kid opened his mouth and closed it again several times. He just didn't know what to say. He didn't think Ame was the type to go around beating up little boys. I mean… not really. Sort of.

"Hm," finally, Lord Death broke the silence. With a simple and open 'hm.' Kid buried his face in his hand. Why was Ame so socially inept? "So! What you all just saw was the local Death Scout girl troop 564. You didn't see it before, but it seems those boys were giving them some trouble."

"I always kind of expected the boys to be the ones winning a street fight," Sid remarked.

"Well, the boy scouts learn elements of survival," Lord Death said. "We always tried to channel their masculine violence into something productive. The girls learned more girlish things for centuries, and they were all okay with it. Until recently, I guess the girls were a bit pushed over. So Ame helped them out by teaching them a few things she'd picked up at the academy."

Spirit glanced at Kid, perhaps just to acknowledge that he was there, but Kid looked defensive in response.

"I have no control over Ame," he said it loud and clear.

"I know," Spirit nodded. "I was just, um… why did they beat up the boy scouts again?"

"Who knows?" Lord Death shrugged. "And I really don't care. I was just thinking. Do you think we can recruit those girls for a summer defense program? We teach enough hand to hand combat without weapons; and I was just thinking about special defense units that some of our enemies wouldn't be able to target directly. It would be good for Rin and Nagi too, now that they're immortal."

"It's a good idea," Sid said. "And no local facility will train girls with better honor than the academy."

"What do you think, Kid?" Lord Death asked. "Since you're gonna start making the decisions around here, I don't want to put something on your hands you don't want to deal with later on."

Kid envisioned training courses for human defense. The way Ame taught was a bit rough, but he agreed with his father.

"I like it," Kid nodded. "It gives Ame something to do."

**Well, another chapter. I'm thinking about introducing another enemy. Do you think it's too soon for that? I'll keep posting filler chapters until I get an opinion on that :)**


	18. Chapter 18

_"So this is… Madness," Soul said as he watched his meister flail around in a battle with the Demon Swordsman._

_ "It doesn't let them feel fear," the Oni said. "In this fight, they're denied their opponent's soul and even their very own souls…"_

Soul contemplated this as he got ready for school in the morning. He got that Ame, as the embodiment of madness, denied her fear. But he wasn't sure about her denying her own soul. It didn't make sense; how could someone so kind and so caring deny her own soul? Or the souls of others, for that matter. Maybe he could ask Sayo in class today.

Madness of the Nonexistent Soul; Ame's Judgment in Question?

Sayo kept the class in order. They were reviewing for the final test the next day. Soul was going to just wait until after class when everyone else was gone to ask any questions. He didn't want to look like the studious type. However, class was interrupted. By you-know-who.

Ame walked—or more liked broke—into the classroom. She had a book from the library in her arms and her Smart Person glasses in her hand. What had once been known as 'Divine Teachings,' had turned into something between a philosophy class and a debate club some of the time. Ame made the students contemplate why life was short or long without denying the simple pleasures of life along the way. It was truly for her own understanding of the human sociology, but it was nice not to have to be serious all the time.

"Sorry I am late, class," she said, slapping on her Smart Person glasses. "Today we're gonna study the gravitational pull of romantic relationsh*ts."

"Um, actually…" Soul raised his hand tentatively. He didn't know how to bring this up; he wasn't the guy that spoke up in class. But if he didn't speak now, Ame would take up Sayo's time after class. Ame raised her eyebrows slowly, indicating for him to continue. "I have a question about madness."

Ame blinked, neatly taking off her glasses and folding them on the desk. She was smiling slightly, as if the idea of Soul becoming a decent human being entertained her. Eventually, she softly said, "Go ahead, Soul."

"We were taught in a previous class that madness denies fear and it denies that people have souls. You're the embodiment of madness. Do you think that you're fit to teach lessons regarding emotion or soul response?"

He tried to make his tone accusing, to cover up his curiosity. Maka shot him a reproving look, so at least it worked. He could still see that Maka was surprised he'd said anything at all.

I nodded, thinking for a moment.

"I like that question," she said. "It fills plot holes."

"Plot holes?"

"Madness," I began. "Is a really old word. It has become slang for things that people don't understand. Like Prejudice… and racism."

There was a murmur of agreement among the students.

"Yes, I deny my fear. Everyone does it. And yes, I do deny my soul. Just not in the way you think. I deny the fact that I have or even need a soul. I still have a body. I can still use my mind. It is what allows me to blindly continue taking care of the world like all the I before me without considering doing it wrong. Madness is, in a way, what makes me pure, but it is also… what makes me immortal."

Her eyes glazed over slightly. Her demeanor changed, and she was suddenly serious.

"I can deny my soul in death, which will then return my soul to my body. You've all seen me die in the battle with the Spider Queen. It wasn't your prayers that brought me back. It wasn't Kid. It was Madness."

Soul Eater

"So, I know you've kissed Ame," Soul said.

"Um… sort of."

"How do you sort of kiss someone?"

"Well, the few times I've kissed her on the lips, she threatened me, so we haven't gone very far yet."

"She's weird," Soul shook his head. "Oh, by the way, I want you to try something when you're on your next date with Ame."

"What is it?"

"Nothing much; I'm just curious about something. Here's what I want you to do…."

"Hey, Ame, does this top make me look too big?" Liz asked her shopping buddy, glancing in the mirror.

"I thought we were shopping for my date tonight," Ame said. Liz smiled apologetically.

"Sorry about that, but Kid will like you no matter what you wear!" Liz skipped over to her and sat down next to her excitedly. "So, where are you two going?"

"To a movie."

"How boring. Hey, Ame, have you ever thought that maybe you and Kid are moving too fast or too slow?"

"Another change in conversation," Ame noted. "No, not really. I don't really worry about that stuff. I know that Kid's okay with it, so I am too!"

"What if you broke up with him?" Liz asked.

"Oh, no, I don't think I could do that…"

"Don't be chicken!" Liz said, hugging Ame close. She was obviously trying to set her up. "It's just a ruse. Tonight after the movie, just say something like 'you disgust me, it's over!' okay?"

"… No," Ame shook her head. "I can't do that, even in jest. I'll find other ways to torment him."

"Aren't those movies getting kind of old?" Ame asked Kid as they walked home after going to see a movie.

"Yeah…" Kid nodded. He took Ame with one arm, blushing once he remembered what Soul wanted him to do.

_"I want you to grab her butt."_

_ "WHAT?!"_

_ "No, not in a pervy way. I mean I want you to grab her tail. Just casually, you know. I want to know how she reacts."_

Kid put his arm around Ame's shoulder, quickly sliding it down to rest on her back. Should he really be doing this? Of course not, but what else was he going to do? In truth, he'd been kind of curious about it too. And it's not like anyone was going to find out and treat him differently. He glanced once more at Ame. She was still walking along casually, just the slightest bit happier because he was touching her. Kid averted his gaze and reached down to grab the base of her tail.

Ame stopped walking immediately. Her face was red as a tomato, and her ears were sticking straight up. Without warning, she threw her hand out and slapped Kid across the face hard enough that he stumbled back. She blinked, not quite sure what she had done. Kid was staring at her rather ruefully and rubbing his red cheek where she had hit him.

"You idiot, don't you know better than to grab some girl's tail like that?!" she shouted. Kid blushed and ducked his head, trying to avoid the passerby's that had turned to stare at them. "You pervert! It's over! I'm done with this relatinsh*t!"

With that, she darted away. Kid watched her go. That was so fake, and he could tell, but it would be an interesting reaction to tell Soul, at the least.

The next day at lunch, Soul sat down next to Kid.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked. Kid turned his face slightly, letting Soul look at the bruise on his face. "Damn. Did Ame do that?"

"Uh-huh," Kid nodded, taking a bite of his salad. "Before she broke up with me."

The others at the table turned to look at him.

"Whoa, dude, you didn't have to go that far."

"You're the one that told me to do it!"

"I'm sorry, Kid," Maka said sympathetically, putting an arm around his shoulder. Kid was about to tell her that it was probably just an act on Ame's part, and that he was fine, but he decided against it. He just wanted to see how low they'd go out of sympathy for him. That wasn't like him, but he was feeling spontaneous.

He was in the dangerous phase after a break up.

Meanwhile, at home, Ame was sitting on the couch next to Blair. Ame was drinking from a bottle of vodka and crying.

"I can't believe I actually did that!" she sobbed. "I don't know what came over me, it was just the first thing I could think of…."

"You're a bit of a head case, you know that?" Blair asked.


	19. Chapter 19

Aside from Kid and Ame still not getting back together, it was a normal day. It was a bit odd; the others had kind of expected them to get over their ridiculous argument, but they just didn't. It wasn't that they didn't want to—it was more like they just never got around to it. Sayo was teaching her class in the morning like always.

"Everyone please open your text books to page thirty-seven," Sayo said. "I know we studied that at the beginning of the year, but we're going back to review a few things for the upcoming test."

"What do you think we'll do next year for a textbook?" Maka leaned over to ask Liz. "I mean, this is all Ame was able to make, right? Every year we get new textbooks, so do you think we'll still have this class?"

"Who knows?" Liz asked. "Ame always comes up with something. You should really ask Kid about these things."

"Where is Kid?" Maka asked.

"With his dad in the Death Room," Liz replied. "They're having tea this morning, probably discussing something top secret or something."

Madness Attack; Ame Starts Acting Strange?

No one expected anything bad to happen. Sayo was at the chalkboard, droning on about soul perception and pancakes. Suddenly, the door creaked open. Sayo looked up, rather annoyed that someone would interrupt her class without knocking. Her anger abated when she saw it was only Ame, but… something was off. Ame silently walked into the room and stood there. She just stood there. Even her ears and tail, which expressed every thought in a twitch or other signal, were completely paralyzed. Something had come over Ame that caused her to shut herself inside her mind.

Sayo saw three entities, black in color and in the form of straight lines. They seemed to reach out of Ame's back, right where her divine instruments would hover over her back. The powerful slash-marks dragged themselves across the chalkboard, making a horrible screech and making everyone in the room cringe and cover their ears.

"Ame, what the hell?!" a student demanded.

The entities shot at Sayo's desk, sending it and its contents flying against the row of student's desks. A few students got up and scattered away from the damage in alarm.

"Ame, stop!" Sayo shouted. Her voice softened slightly. "What's wrong? Why are you doing this?"

Ame turned back to Sayo and raised her head. Sayo grimaced and took an involuntary step back when she saw Ame's face. No, this wasn't right at all. The class wasn't sure what they saw next. Ame didn't do it; Sayo did this to herself. She suddenly had a knife in her hand and was pointing it at her neck. Sayo let out a surprised gasp, her eyes wide with fear.

"Miss Sayo!" Maka exclaimed, getting to her feet.

"What am I doing?" Sayo whispered. The knife plunged through her throat. A shower of blood splattered across the first couple rows of desks. The students were paralyzed for a moment before someone screamed.

That was when the illusion went away. Sayo was fine; there was no blood. A series of images and scenes flashed in everyone's mind simultaneously, but nothing truly happened at all. It was like watching a horror movie.

Kid blinked, setting his cup of tea down with a clatter and involuntarily looking behind him at the door. He'd suddenly felt a pulse of madness pervade the entire campus. The strength of the force was enough to bring it all the way across the school.

"Did you feel that?" he asked. "Such power…"

"I'm half-hoping that's Ame out there," Lord Death said, his voice taking on a serious tone. "She's the only one that should be able to use that kind of power. We should go check it out."

Kid and Lord Death made it to the classroom a little late. Most of the students were gathered in the hallway, curled up against the wall or standing over their partners. Some of them were even crying.

"What's happened?" Kid demanded.

"It was Ame," one of the students replied. "She came in and started tearing the place up! We don't know if the others are okay; they said they could help her, but I'm not going back in there!"

Kid turned and hesitantly looked into the classroom. Maka was standing next to Soul, towering over someone in the corner. When they saw Kid, they evacuated into the hallway with everybody else. Ame was curled up in the corner, her head in her hands, and a large splash of blood smeared across the wall and floor reaching four feet away from Ame's body in an almost circular splash. Kid slowly approached her, taking in her trembling form as he came closer and closer.

"It's okay, Ame," he said, kneeling next to her. "You're just upset about last night. It's okay; just calm down."

Ame snarled. Kid felt a stabbing pain throughout his chest, and a warmth spreading down his body, like blood dripping from a gaping wound….

"STOP!" Kid slammed his fist against the wall. Ame flinched, and the illusion went away. Kid took a couple deep breaths. It was just the madness; he was fine.

"I'm… sorry…"

Kid looked up. Ame was staring at her bloody hands, her eyes filled with tears of remorse.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

Kid wordlessly pulled her to her feet, guiding her away from the blood and ruin of the room. He would take her to the infirmary to get her cleaned up. Ame's gait was unsteady; she stumbled often and nearly fell twice. She was still shaking and apologizing. Apologizing for what? Did she do something wrong? Kid sat her down on one of the beds in the dispensary, searching the cabinets for some sterile cloth and getting a basin of water from the sink. He returned to Ame's side and began cleaning the blood from her unscathed arms and face.

"Where did all this blood come from, Ame?" Kid asked sternly.

"The lamb," Ame whispered, staring straight ahead. "I'm sorry… I'm so…"

"Was it a real lamb?" Kid asked. "Like a sheep, but little?"

Ame nodded and swallowed hard. "It was a sheep."

"Did you kill it?"

"No."

Kid's grip on her arm tightened.

"Ame," he growled warningly. "Did you kill that lamb?"

"No!" Ame screamed, throwing her arms out. The basin of water spilled on the tile floor with a clang. "It… it was still alive…."

Kid didn't say anything. He grabbed the bucket from under the sink and kicked it over to Ame.

"If you get sick, do so in that," he said. "You've made enough of a mess for me to clean up."

Ame's head twitched in a little nod. Kid sighed. It looked like he was getting nothing else from Ame. He cleaned up the spilled water and set the supplies on the counter.

"I'm going to go out into the hallway for a moment, okay?" he asked. "I'll be right outside if you need me."

He closed the door quietly behind him. Lord Death was waiting for him.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

Kid nodded. "Ame… she…."

"What is it, Kid?" Lord Death prompted.

"She ate a lamb," Kid sighed, looking up. "She just got… freaked out. It's not really important."

"Are you sure she'll be okay?"

Kid glanced at him. "Of course. This is Ame we're talking about."

Kid reentered the infirmary. Ame was curled behind one of the beds, violently sick. Kid walked around the bed and knelt beside her. He rubbed her back soothingly until she stopped throwing up. He averted his gaze from the bucket full of blood and guts and bones.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

She took a breath and stopped shaking. Kid could feel the madness radiating off her soul subside.

"Sorry," she whispered calmly.

"Don't be," Kid held her close. "Promise me that you'll be more careful, okay? Promise?"

"I promise," Ame nodded. She nuzzled her head under his chin so he couldn't see her lips pull into a sly grin. Her fangs glistened in the dim light. "Kid-kun."

**I FINALLY have my new-new laptop, so I can get back on track. I'm not getting a lot of feedback on this story, which is unfortunate for me. However, I'll get it completed on my own time for those of you who have reviewed :3 Anyway, I got WolfQuest and FL Studio 11 demo on my laptop, so I can get back to my YouTube channel too. Well, I guess that's all I have to say about it.**


	20. Chapter 20

Ame took it easy for the rest of the day. It didn't bother Kid at first. Then she didn't wake up to cook breakfast when it was her turn the next day. Kid was a little put off; he'd gotten up a bit late, so he wouldn't have time to fix breakfast for everybody. He went upstairs to wake Ame up. Maybe she'd help out.

Ame was curled up in her bed, burrowed under the covers, sleeping heavily. Kid stood by her bed with a disproving look on his face.

"Ame," he shook her a little bit. When he got no reply, he shook her again. "Ame, hey, Ame."

Still no reply.

"Ame, wake up, you lazy brute," Kid ripped the blankets off of her. She curled up in shock and growled angrily. She opened her eyes and glared at him.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"It was your turn to cook today," he snapped. "What do you mean what do I want? I want breakfast."

"Oh, what, am I your slave now?"

"Ame," Kid tried to control his anger. "We agreed that you could live here if you helped with the chores at least half of the time. Are you listening?"

"No," Ame rolled over. "I'm not interested in your whining. Feed me."

"Excuse me?! You little—!"

He reached for her shoulder, but she whipped her head around and bit his fingers. Kid froze; if he made sudden movements, she could end him. She glared at him for a moment, a warning growl resounding in her throat, before she released him and tucked away in her sea of blankets.

"Whatever, princess," Kid scoffed, going back downstairs.

"Hey, Kid, what'd Ame make for breakfast?"

"No breakfast today," Kid replied, grabbing his jacket. "Come on."

Black Resonance; More Than a Fight?

"I thought Ame was coming to school today," Maka said. "We were going to help those girl scouts today, right?"

"Ame's not coming," Kid fidgeted uncomfortably. "She's… not well yet. I think she should just stay home for a while."

"What's going on with her lately?" Soul asked. "Her madness has just been getting worse and worse."

"I don't know," Kid shook his head. "But I'm afraid this isn't something any of us can help with. We'll just have to wait it out."

"I'm sure she'll feel better soon," Blackstar said. "This is Ame we're talking about."

Kid decided to cut class to visit his father in the Death Room. He needed to make sure that everything was sound, and it couldn't wait. He needed to know why Ame was acting like this.

"Ame's still upset, huh?" Lord Death asked dismally. "I have no idea why she's acting like this. Madness is a tool she uses to cover her negative emotions. However, there are no negative emotions to cover up. Did you try speaking to her?"

"Yes," Kid nodded. "But she's just not telling me anything. Dad, something's wrong. The only time she's ever acted like this was…"

"?" Lord Death tilted his head. Kid stared straight ahead, an expression of sick recognition on his face.

"When she told me that she'd reversed time," he finished quietly. "Only impurity of her own doing could bring this upon herself. And with all that's been going on with humans fearing Ame and such…."

"Kid, you aren't starting to doubt Ame, are you?"

"Aren't you?' Kid scoffed. "You can't honestly tell me that you aren't worried that Ame could be dangerous?"

"I know better, Kid."

Kid gritted his teeth. The way his father had said that… he knew better than to doubt Ame. Of course, the one time Lord Death had doubted Ame, the Demon Lord was resurrected and they nearly died. Twice. He wasn't about to take that chance again.

"With all due respect, Father," he spoke coldly. "You can't keep blindly following Ame simply because she saved my life. You owe her nothing more than my soul. I've already given her that, you need to listen!"

"Enough!" the other snapped. "Kid, I will not tolerate you disrespecting Ame in such a manner. You should have—"

"Me?! Disrespect her?" Kid cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "I'm a slave to her! I know you're doing this for me, but it feels like you're just appealing to her. It's almost like you like her more as a daughter or something."

Silence fell. Kid turned to leave. He didn't want any more part in this argument. He'd just have to take care of it himself if his father was going to be a poor leader. It hurt to think those words. His father had always been such a brave, honest man, and the best leader the world could ask for in Ikiru's absence. He just… didn't feel safe around Ame anymore. He was too susceptible to the madness.

Kid was making his way home alone. He hadn't realized that he'd been running. He finally stopped for breath at the foot of Ame's sakura tree planted at the edge of town. He looked at the ground unhappily, trying to regain his composure to put on a brave face for Ame and the others. Who knew what she was up to right now? What if she was still upset? He'd better hurry home so he could check on her.

He saw movement in the corner of his eye and froze. The air turned cold as the birds in the trees fell silent and the cicadas chirped a disconcerting ambience. Ame was standing behind the tree. She lifted her head and smiled at him.

"Kid-kun, _miitsuketa_," she purred. Kid was again haunted by the emptiness in her eyes.

"A-Ame," he greeted. "I was just going home to check on you. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now," she chirped. "What about you?"

"Um… good, I guess," Kid sweatdropped at the awkward return of the question.

"Is that so?" her voice dropped to a monotone. She rocked forward on her toes until she was uncomfortably close. "You're really fine?"

"Yes," Kid nodded, taking a step away. She took a step forward.

"Then why were you not in class today?" she asked. "Huh, Kid-kun?"

"I had business elsewhere," he replied simply.

"You were in the Death Room." Her green eye flashed. "Weren't you? You were arguing with your dad, right?"

"…" How could she know that?

"Am I right?" she pressed a bit more loudly.

"Y-yeah, I was with my dad," he nodded. "Just talking, that's all."

"I see," she narrowed her eyes and backed away, lowering her head to shade her eyes with her bangs. "You're mean. What ever did I do to you to make you lie to me?"

"Well, if you want to go into details…"

"So what were you and your dad talking about, huh?" Ame continued to interrogate him, her voice maintaining that steady monotonous voice.

"Nothing, really," Kid mumbled, looking away.

"LIAR!"

Kid jumped as the birds nesting in the sakura tree fled. Ame's shout seemed to reverberate around the clearing, spreading over the world and momentarily emitting an uncanny silence.

"Ame," Kid said quietly, gazing at her small form. "You have to stop this madness. It's over. Ninetails is gone; we're fine."

Ame let out a soft laugh. Kid turned his head slightly; it wasn't like her at all. Her laughter was loud and proud, and sometimes scary, but that soft, dainty giggle was enough to throw her off.

"Baka," she muttered softly. "It's only just begun, Kid-kun."

She narrowed her eyes, letting out another one of those creepy laughs.

"Why… why do you keep calling me Kid-kun?" he asked.

"Because that's what I called you," Ame replied. "Come on, let's go home now."

Kid felt his body tense up. He just couldn't shake the fear that something was wrong.

Soul Eater

Lord Death had summoned Ame to talk with her in private after the incident with Kid. He was worried about Kid's behavior; he'd been rather erratic of late.

"Did something happen to Kid a while back?" he asked her. "He's been so edgy lately. I thought the Demon Lord's defeat had eased his mind a bit."

"He's growing," Ame stated calmly. "Being a fragment of madness makes him more susceptible to such things. Treating him like a child all the time won't help anything."

"But I'm still worried about him," Lord Death tried to reason with her. "He's losing confidence in himself. In turn, I think he's starting to doubt you."

"Doubt me?" Ame let out a short bark of laughter. "You honestly tolerate that kind of crap at this school?"

"…" the other was silent for a moment. Was Ame really laughing about this? Sure, she laughed at everything, but she was somehow cruel, as if mocking Kid for his weakness.

"Well, Death?" Ame suddenly became eerily serious. Her voice dropped back to the tone that she had used with Kid earlier. "Why would you teach that at this school?"

He was silent. At first, he wasn't even sure that he'd heard right. Ame's question had him wondering what to do. He was angry, but he wasn't sure if he should take it out on Ame. The two gods engaged in a furious stare-off.

"You still have them, don't you?" Ame suddenly asked quietly. "The Shinigami Eyes. Just like Sidoh."

Why wouldn't Kid have them as well?

Ame shrugged and pulled away. "It wouldn't matter. I come and go as I please."

"She's right; it wouldn't matter," Lord Death thought with a sigh. "As a goddess, Ame's time is unlimited. I can't see an exact date on her head. But I wonder why she was so curious."

**Another chapter. Got super lazy about now. Been wanting to write a Guardians of the Galaxy fic, but trying not to rush this one.**


	21. Chapter 21

These things kept bothering Kid. He couldn't even sleep. He contemplated all that was going on recently. It wasn't just that something 'wasn't right;' it was that something was 'wrong.' Ame was here, but she wasn't herself. Was she finally growing into her full power as an Inochigami? Even so, it felt like there was a strong sense of… pressure on her soul. She wasn't growing into her soul, she was expanding beyond its limits.

Kid wasn't sure if he was actually thinking logically anymore. He'd always had a sort of conscious awareness that he was much more susceptible to Madness than his friends. It worried him to think that everything might actually be okay and he was just imagining the whole thing. But no, it couldn't be that simple! But he also didn't want to face the reality that if Ame was beginning to corrupt her soul or something… maybe she wasn't as innocent as she had always led them to believe. What if… she'd always had a plan to destroy the world or something like that? What if she'd reset the world a million times just to get it perfect? Maybe they'd vanquished her in all the other worlds, and she rewrote their memories to remember none of it?

He knew she had that kind of power. She was absolute, which only corrupted.

The next morning, Kid could only think of that word Ame had said. Resolve. He couldn't trust Ame anymore. And as long as everyone else blindly followed her, he couldn't trust anyone else.

"Hey."

Kid looked up from his plate at the table. He thought he was alone, but Nagi was standing on the other side of the table with a solemn look on his face.

"Kid, I know you're starting to doubt things," he said, his eyes searching Kid's. "You can trust me; Ame is my sister. I know that something isn't right with her, and I know how dangerous she can become. As long as you're in this precarious position, even your weapon partners won't fight her if she pursues you. I want you to take this."

He handed Kid a metal baseball bat. Kid swallowed and nodded seriously.

"Don't kill her," Nagi warned. "Unless you have to. We're trying to keep everyone else safe, so we need to be careful. I'll keep an eye on Ame; you just keep yourself safe. You're the only one who can stop her, no matter what she becomes."

"Right," Kid nodded. He got to his feet. "Thank you, Nagi. It's nice to have someone on my side."

The Truth; Who Is Ame, Really?

Kid was walking to school alone that day. He was on edge. He knew Ame was clever enough to shake her own brother. He gripped the bat a little tighter and quickened his pace. What if Ame… what if she'd sent out Rem, and the Spider Queen, and the Demon Lord as ploys? What if they were all part of a plan to get the academy to trust her? Now she was under Lord Death's protection from his own son.

"KID!" a familiar voice yelled. Kid raised the bat offensively and spun around to face Ame. She had run down the street in order to catch up to him. She was about to tackle him when he held the bat almost at arms-length out.

"Stay back!" he warned. Ame stumbled to a stop and stared at him incredulously for a moment.

"Kid?" she asked. "Are you okay? I know I've been gone so long…."

"How long have you been following me?" Kid demanded, his voice steely.

"I just found you," she replied.

_Miitsuketa…_

"That's a lie!" he shouted. Ame took a step back. She looked hurt, and Kid felt a sliver of hope that he actually knew who he was talking to. "You've been acting weird lately. I know you're up to something, and I won't blindly worship you like everyone else. I need to know if you're really up to no good!"

"Kid," Ame breathed. "Why would you…?"

"Just tell me!" Kid yelled. Ame was silent for a moment before replying seriously.

"I'm not up to anything bad," she replied. "How could I be? I've been gone for days, haven't I?"

"No, you were home just this morning," Kid said. He saw Ame's face change to a look of horror. He lowered the bat and cocked his head to the side. "Where… were you, exactly?"

"I was spirited away," Ame replied, ducking her head down. "I felt something in the Grim World and went to investigate. My body was somewhere no one would be able to find or move it. However, when I got there, whatever the something was was already gone."

"But… I saw…." Kid looked away for a moment, back towards the academy. He looked down as his cellphone began to ring in his pocket. He put his phone to his ear and answered it. "What is it, Nagi?"

"Kid, it's Ame! She's gone crazy! We're at the school; you have to come quick!"

Kid glanced back at Ame for a moment, who shifted forward upon overhearing Nagi's voice. They both began running to the academy. The sight that greeted them was atrocious. The once beautiful DWMA was in shambles. Windows were smashed, foundations were crumbled. Pillars had toppled to the ground. Whoever did this had also attacked the students, who had evacuated the building and were standing in groups, ready to fight.

The culprit was at the top of the steps, looking up at the sky at a floating figure.

"You're an imposter!" Waka yelled. "Ma Cherie kisses way better than you do!"

Kid looked at who he was yelling at. It was… Ame?! The white-haired girl with the wolf ears and tail, clad in a short pleated rad skirt and white blouse, was staring blankly at Waka. She was holding a brilliant sword of flames that greatly resembled Ame's Seven Strike. But… Ame had been with Kid. She was standing right next to him! How?

The other Ame turned to them.

"So, Kid, did you find the answer?" she asked sweetly. "You're wrong. Because I'm not really the Amaterasu you know. I am the Demon Lord."

Kid felt as if someone had stabbed him in the gut. Such sudden terror is too great to put into words. They had worked so hard… and now she was back again.

"I'm here now," the demon continued. "But I'm afraid the goddess of the sun can't fight me when there is no sun."

Ame looked up at the sun as a dark shadow began to cover it.

"I came on the day of the solar eclipse, where my power is at its peak, and Ame's is at its all-time low."

She lunged at Ame, taking a bite out of her side so suddenly that Ame couldn't even react. Ame collapsed to one knee, holding her bleeding side and gritting her teeth. Kid put a hand on Ame's shoulder.

"Ame, what are you…?"

"Get the others," Ame growled. "Just do it!"

The demon lord grinned, holding out her hand to reveal an iron ball…. Had she recovered that from Ame's body? She put the iron in her mouth and swallowed it whole.

"Nothing to increase my strength like a manifestation of sin," she growled happily as her eyes began glowing red. "What is this taste? I taste… deceit and… fornication. It's delightful!"

Ame shifted to her wolf form and lunged at the demon lord. The two wolves clashed and began tearing at each other. Ame was thrown across the courtyard. Several tendrils of light began glowing around her body, scattering in all directions and leaving her as nothing more than a small white wolf. She had no markings or divine instruments. Most importantly, she had no ink. Meanwhile, the Demon Lord became a large black wolf with a red Solar Flare on her back. In her human form, she was a shrine maiden with black hair and red eyes.

The two began fighting again. Ame backed away as her friends, meisters and transformed weapons of the DWMA, began their attacks on the demon lord.

"Pitiful," the demon snarled. She flung her tail in a line across the yard, and pillars began collapsing. "I'm just getting started. Inuyasha told me you'd be better than this."

"Where is your pathetic errand dog now?" Maka demanded.

"Unfortunately, as long as Ame is in this state, any being from the Celestial Plain cannot be contacted, my Inubaka* included."

Waka intervened, unsheathing Pillowtalk and attacking the demon lord.

"You won't have my Amaterasu," he growled as soon as he got close enough. "Not over my dead body!"

The demon threw him aside and licked blood off her fingers.

"That won't be a problem," she said. "With enough power to manifest my own body instead of borrowing one, I can do anything! Inuyasha taught me all Amaterasu's brush powers. Watch this."

Waka felt several sharp pains on his body, almost like bullets.

"Ink bullets," he said, regaining his footing.

"Gift bestowed upon the weilder of Snarling Beast," Demon Lord nodded, motioning to a golden wheel that suddenly appeared on her back.

"You manifested your own weapons?" Kid asked. "How?!"

"Stop asking dumb questions," the Demon Lord snarled, power slashing Ame and tying her with vines to one of the pillars. "You should know of all of us, what goes on in my head. After all, you're the one who created me. You know me."

"What are you talking about?" Kid wondered quietly.

"Men are created from wolves, and sin is created from men," she said, her glowing red eyes piercing the darkness of the eclipse. "I am not created from Ame, but created from you, silly boy."

"Shut up! That's a lie!" Kid shouted, shooting at her. She only laughed and teleported right in front of him, her face inches from his. Kid tensed, but before he could move, a black shadow came between them, forcing the other away.

"That's enough!" Lord Death yelled, wielding Death Scythe and swinging it menacingly at the demon. He stood protectively between her and Kid. "I'm not going to let you hurt my son again. This is my city, and I should be the one to tell you that you aren't welcome here!"

"I've never seen Lord Death so angry, not even at Asura," Liz thought to herself. As the battle between the gods continued, the students took cover anywhere they could. Ame didn't join them; it was as if it never occurred to her that she was safer with her friends. She just kept watching the battle, standing out in the open. She couldn't fight; she was no more than a regular wolf!

"What is that crazy wolf doing now?" Blackstar asked.

"Damn it, we should be out there doing something!" Kilik growled in frustration. "Even if this is a battle against ultimate evil, we can't just sit here and do nothing."

"Even with how strong we've gotten," Maka said. "A battle between the gods is no place for us. We're so… useless."

"Will both of you shut up?" Soul asked. "Stop doubting yourselves and do what you can! Sure, we can't fight now, we just have to wait it out until we can fight."

"You're weak," the demon lord said to Death as she struck him down once more. "You lack the power that your son now has, and he lacks the power that you still have. It's a give and take between time and space that creates an unstable infinity."

"How did you know that the eclipse would weaken Ame?" Lord Death growled.

"After I found out that her odd eye could see past what others see, I knew she was of the moon tribe," she explained. "She is both of the moon and of the sun, and when there is an eclipse, all her divine powers cancel out and she is left as no more than a normal Honshu wolf."

"That can happen?" Spirit asked. "And what about you? You created yourself in the spitting image of Ame! Why aren't you stripped of your power and left to the mercy of death?"

She lowered her head, her face contorting in a smooth grin. "I am not exactly like Ame. I can summon the sun, but I am not of the sun. I can see through the moon, but that does not make me of the moon. It's taken me centuries to recreate Ame's genes into my body. I am of nothing but evil, and now I have the power of O-kami Amaterasu."

"Okami?" Spirit questioned. "Don't belittle her because she's weak*!"

"Ignorant fool," the demon purred. "Death, would you really go against your father just to make a fair world? A peaceful world? All this time, you've been hurting yourself."

Lord Death's grip on the scythe tightened in frustration. He wished she'd leave his father before him out of this.

"Hurting yourself," the demon lord mused. "And someone else."

She turned to Ame and threw one last blow; a collection of seven swords coated with madness. Lord Death jumped into action, leaping in front of Ame and holding his arms out protectively. He wasn't afraid to die; even if he died, Ame was the only one that could restore a more peaceful world. Ame was thrown against the wall from the force of the impact. Blood streaked down the wall as she stumbled to her feet and fled. As a wolf, she still feared humans as she had before, if not more so.

Liz tore her eyes away from the scene as Kid stirred. His eyes widened, an expression of knowing horror on his face.

"Father," he choked out. He bolted upright and ran across the courtyard to where his father lay, motionless. This looked familiar. Lord Death had blocked a fatal shot from Asura before. He'd done it to save a group of people, but Kid couldn't help but remember in that moment that he had been saved too.

"You disgust me," Waka said to the Demon Lord. The girl turned, her face turning to a frown. "Killing children? Destroying families? Where does it end?"

"It ends at the point between morality and immorality," she replied matter-of-factly. "I am Evil. I am the only evil that shall surpass good. Remember that."

She turned and flashed out of sight. Waka returned his attention to the ground. Kid was kneeling next to Lord Death, a trembling hand clenching a fold in his cloak. Waka could see tears falling down his face in streams.

"Please," he whispered quietly. "Please don't leave me. Please, Dad…."

He felt so alone. Where was Ame? She should be here, mourning with him. Lord Death was like a father to her too. No, he was more than that; he was the coolest dad ever to her. Kid only wished he could have realized it before, or even when this happened when Asura attacked. Stupid, selfish….

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

** That would be another chapter completed. :) I've actually had this and many other chapters written for months but wanted to wait until I got some feedback like reviews. Yeah, didn't work out that well XD**

***The demon lord refers to Inuyasha (literally 'Dog Demon') as 'Inubaka' (Dog that is Stupid), probably referring a very belittling pet-master relationship between the two.**

** *Here, Spirit thinks that the demon lord is referring to Ame as 'Okami,' which implies a regular wolf instead of a godly wolf. However, the Demon Lord was actually saying it "O-Kami" which means 'Greatest God.' More will be explained about Ame's new title in later chapters.**


	22. Chapter 22

The shadow over the sun cleared, and the demon lord fled. Ame's wounds healed as her power was restored. She returned to her human form and looked around the battlefield that they had made out of their home.

The city was in ruins. Nothing less was to be expected in a fight between the gods. It was good that most of the city was evacuated as soon as the demon lord went on a rampage. Ame looked up at the ashy sky as the constellations of the Zodiac returned to the sky. The students were all tired and injured from the fight.

Ame didn't even realize she was crying.

"We can't just sit here," Kid was the first to speak. He got to his feet. "We need to make sure the civilians made it to safety. We need to salvage as much as we can from the academy."

Ame thought about it. Could she reset the world one more time? She just wanted a perfect world where Kid and she could live. Alive. Together. Happy… But with how bad things were, and Kid was still so brave, she couldn't find it in her to honestly doubt that they wouldn't get through this. It couldn't be that bad, right?

Ame watched the students scatter to carry the injured to safer grounds. She knew better. Things were really bad this time, and it would take a while for Lord Death to heal. She saw Kid glance her way and averted her gaze stiffly. At this moment, he was being brave. He almost lost his father again, and he was just calmly controlling the madness of the thousands of fearful civilians.  
_  
"How's he so brave?"_ she thought. _" How can he say that he's ready to face the future like this?"_

Ame left the scene. She didn't think that after the Demon Lord had taken her form that many of the students would want her there. She found herself at the roots of the guardian sakura tree that she had grown there when she'd first entered Death City. Carefree? Innocent, she'd been? Yes, but nothing has changed that. She'd been scared, mistrusting. She'd always looked after others, but she had neglected herself and now endangered the whole world again.

She would put the blame off on nobody but herself this time. If she had been present, the Demon Lord couldn't have grown so strong.

_Every bridge burned  
Every hard lesson I have learned…  
_

"Hey, Ame?" Kid asked upon finding her. "I was wondering where you'd gone. What are you doing here all by yourself?"

Ame opened her mouth and closed it many times, as if she wanted to say something, but her madness rendered her speechless. Kid put a hand on her arm carefully, as if to keep her from going into another of her fits. However, Ame was in complete control. She pulled away from him and gave him a determined look.

"I will atone for my sin," she said. "We need to keep people safe until we can find out what that bitch is up to."

Kid managed to give her a small smile. That was the Ame he knew. He felt so grateful to have her back.

_**  
And all along I believed  
I would guide you  
Now my thoughts reveal to me  
You have saved me for these eight hundred years  
You'll save me for some countless more  
**_

Soul Eater

The setting sun painted the entire sky crimson and orange that evening, the rays reflecting off of the lingering clouds of ash, making it appear as if the fires were still burning. Kid and Ame returned to the academy together to confront whatever was left for them there. They were greeted by the rather aggressive gesture of Kilik and Ox brandishing their weapons at Ame.

"What are you still doing here?"

"Why are you still here?" Ame blinked at him, frowning. "Go home already, eat food."

"You idiots," Maka snapped. "It's Ame. I can tell by her soul wavelength. And she's right; go home and rest."

"We checked around," Kid said, stepping around Ox and Kilik. "The Demon Lord seems to have left us to gather our bearings for now." He stopped walking a few feet away from Maka. His voice dropped slightly. "How's Father doing?"

"Stein said he should be fine," Maka replied. "But we're not really sure; we don't really know what the Demon Lord can do. Even after we fought her so many times…."

The next week was dedicated to making Death City livable again. After Lord Death's recovery, he called a meeting with Ame, Kid, and the entire staff at the DWMA. They all stood in the Death Room.

"Okay, first thing's first," Lord Death began. "Ame."

"Yes?" Ame raised her head.

"REAPER CHOP!" Lord Death wasn't merciful this time. Ame sank to her knees and held her head in pain. "That was for leaving. And I think we all owe you an apology for worshipping you blindly. Except Kid, that is."

"What are we even here for?" Kid sighed. The world was ending, and his father was no more serious than the day after they'd defeated Ninetails.

"How are things going, Sid?" Lord Death asked. "Have you been able to contact the other Death Scythes?"

"Well, no one knows where Justin Law is. Tezca returned our call; he's on a mission right now, but he'll be able to come to the DWMA shortly."

"Anyone else?" Lord Death asked. "What about in Africa?"

"Our call got rejected again."

…

"Okay, then! We'll just give them a call later."

Ame suddenly perked up. She got to her feet and leaned on Kid's shoulder with a sly look on her face. She eyed Lord Death as she spoke.

"Soooo," she drawled. "Your calls get re-jec-ted, huuuuuh?"

"CHOP!"

"Be a bit more serious about it, will you?" Lord Death grumbled.

"Look who's talking," Kid sighed.

"I mean it this time, Ame," Lord Death warned. "You've caused us a great deal of trouble, and even I have to wonder just what you were doing leaving without telling anyone. We're keeping our eyes on you from now on, got it?"

Ame didn't respond. It's not like she'd never been mistaken for an enemy before. Back in her time as Shiranui, everyone feared her as a familiar of Orochi. She could handle Death denying her for a while. After all, Kid was probably back on her side after he'd made sense of what happened.

That was most likely Lord Death's reasoning.

"_I'm sure Ame and Kid will do just fine on their own for a while_."

However trusting the pair was in each other, things would not go so well between Ame and Kid. Just that afternoon, they'd indulged in another of their fights.

"No way!" Ame shouted at Kid across the lunch table, getting to her feet and slamming her hands down on the table. "That's totally what it is!"

"No," Kid shot back, mimicking her position and gritting his teeth. "You're wrong, it's not!"

"There they go again," Tsubaki said, sweat-dropping.

"You two argue about the dumbest things sometimes," Soul sighed.

"You shut your mouth!" Kid snapped. "You should here yourself and Maka argue. I'm ashamed to call you guys my friends sometimes."

"Tch, I knew it," Ame muttered, sitting down and continuing to eat her meal. "Even Shinigami commit the sin of ignorance."

Kid twitched, his voice lowering to a dangerous growl. "I dare you to say that again."

"I digress," Ame taunted. "Anyone's entitled to their opinion, even if it sucks."

Kid lunged across the table and wrapped his limbs around Ame and twisting her in an unnatural position.

"Shut up about it!" Kid shouted over Ame squealing in protest.

**I know this was a bit late, and the mood of this chapter kind of goes from oppressing to silly in random order. I just don't want to be stuck writing depressing stuff all the time. I don't mind our characters enjoying themselves a bit, and hey, maybe the Demon Lord doesn't mind that much either.**


	23. Chapter 23

Ame was lying on the cold tile floor of the kitchen, inhaling the sweet scent of raw food around her. It didn't console her. The Demon Lord was free. And she had all of Ame's power. And it was all Ame's fault.

"Ame?" she heard Kid calling her from the other room. "Ame, are you still here? Ame?"

He turned around the corner and nearly tripped over the wolf where she was laying. He knelt down next to her and ran his hand over her silky fur.

"Hey, Ame," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"My wounds have healed but it still hurts," Ame pouted, rolling over to sit up against the counter in her human form. "It feels pointless."

"It is pointless," Kid said. "That wench has all the power she needs with you around. We need to find a way to stop her, but how?"

"She has all the power I have," Ame scoffed.

"But that is her limit," Kid said.

"Are you trying to say I have no power?" Ame challenged, balling her hand up into a fist and holding it up threateningly. "I could destroy this earth even if the entire earth stood against me. And you forget."

"Hm?" Kid looked up.

"The demon lord can still kill children."

New Age; The Shinigami's Oldest Resource?

It had been weeks, but the Demon Lord still hadn't made any moves. It set Ame and the others on edge. They had to do something, or else they'd spontaneously combust. Lord Death tried to think of safe measures to take. He didn't want a lot of students gone on missions at one time, and he had to make sure to send very experienced meisters to take care of anything suspicious.

"We need to do something about this silence, Father," Kid said. He was alone with his father this time, so he didn't have to worry about Ame or the teachers. "It's really driving us insane. Ame tried contacting InuYasha again, but he's nowhere to be found. It's like they're waiting for something."

"That is a problem…" Lord Death mumbled quietly. He seemed preoccupied, which only made Kid angry.

"Are you even listening?" he demanded.

"Of course I am," Lord Death raised his head attentively this time. "I agree with you that something just isn't right here. If anything had come up before, InuYasha would have been all over it, but now he's hidden himself away? And the Demon Lord has no reason to wait it out like this."

Kid knew he was secretly questioning Ame.

"Have any of the other Death Scythes or meisters arrived yet?" Kid asked. "Do you know anyone else we could contact to help us?"

"Well… there is one person," Lord Death nodded. "One wizard that I think will be able to help us get some answers regarding Ame and the Demon Lord."

"Who?" Kid pressed. "Have you contacted him yet?"

"I actually can't right now," Lord Death sighed. "He's trapped himself in that book again."

"That book…?" Kid suddenly started remembering a thing or two about the artificial pasts that Ame had forged up. He was suddenly a bit unenthusiastic. "Are you… sure?"

"Yes, of course, son," Lord Death nodded. "Eibon is an old friend of mine; he'd be willing to help out."

So it was decided that Kid and Ame would enter the Book of Eibon to retrieve the wizard from the pages. Liz and Patti, as well as Maka and Soul, would be going with them, just in case they ran into any trouble. Once all the technicalities were discussed, Lord Death had Sid retrieve the Book from one of the vaults underneath the school.

"So this is the Book of Eibon," Kid said, examining the book. He set it down on the table and opened it up. He glanced at Ame. "Let's go."

**Chapter 1: Lust**

"Well, the first chapter is lust," Maka read from the index. "Hey, wait, why is my voice so low?"

"Maybe you've just been singing along to too much Akiakane again," Soul suggested with a high-pitched laugh.

"Wait, Soul!"

The panic that ensued once our heroines realized that they had swapped genders was pretty irrelevant and had to be cut out for timely reasons.

"Huh?!"

"What the hell?!"

"Wow, Kid, you look good as a girl," Liz commented. Kid blushed and looked away self-consciously. "Ame sure likes what she sees."

Kid glanced at the wolf, who was staring at Kid's chest. Kid trembled slightly, just waiting for her to do her creepy gay thing and move along. Ame silently looked away, obviously unimpressed. Kid was suddenly angry.

"Don't just look away like that, you brute!" he growled. "Well, what are you still doing in your wolf form?" His tone became teasing. He was eager to get back at her. "Come on, don't want us to see you now that you're not a girl?"

"Actually," Ame said, her tone in its normal pitch as she resumed her human form. She hadn't actually changed at all; she was still herself, and in fact, female. Kid stared at her in disbelief.

"How come you're not…."

"My body is that of a child, I'm not developed enough for this chapter to have any effect on me."

"BULLSHIT!" Kid yelled. "Is it because you're gay?!"

Ame laughed bashfully. "Yes."

**Chapter 2: Gluttony**

"Here we are, in the land of…" Maka looked around.

"Food~!" Ame sang, drooling and bolting for one of the mountains of food. Kid held her back.

"Calm down or I'll leave you here," he said. "This is the chapter of gluttony, you can't eat any of this. Got it?"

"Okay," Ame nodded.

"Really?" Kid asked. "Okay? That's it?"

"Yeah, I can totally do this," Ame smiled. She turned to a shop selling roasted chicken. "Just let me eat this one real quick."

"No!" Kid wrapped his arm around her neck in a headlock and pulled her down the street.

"Hey, Maka," Soul said, motioning to a restaurant with udon and ramen. "Do you think their udon is any good?"

"Soul!" Maka shouted. "Get a grip! You don't even like udon!"

"I do!" Ame shouted, raising her hand.

"That… wasn't a question," Maka said.

"Aw, what's wrong with being a little gluttonous?" Ame asked as Kid pinned her to the ground to keep her from eating. "Nobody's perfect, and it's just a little snack."

"I don't know how you can stay four foot nine, half-pint!" Kid argued.

"No, that's my punishment!" Ame said. "I eat all I can and I don't grow an inch, and I accept that."

"No, you don't!" Kid exclaimed, twisting Ame in an unnatural way to restrain her.

"Free mutton!" a shopkeeper called. Ame snapped, she threw Kid off of her with sudden, incredible force and charged for the shop. Kid darted after her, throwing her to the ground and twisting her arms behind her back.

"Don't you dare eat that!" he growled. "Do you even know what mutton is?!"

"Kill the goat!" Ame cried, grumbling in pain as Kid's grip on her tightened.

"It's okay, calm down," Kid tried taking a different approach. "We're almost at the end of the chapter, then you can eat all you want. Right, guys?"

"Actually," Liz said with her mouth full. "You guys go on ahead. This udon is delicious."

"Elizabeth!" Kid scolded.

"Sorry, it was my fault," Maka apologized. "It's just, I think Ame's right. Who needs to be perfect? Plus, we missed lunch today!"

"Just go on, and we'll catch up," Soul said, settling for a slice of pizza and eating it calmly.

"I hope you all die," Kid and Ame said in unison.

**Chapter 3: Envy**

"It's too bad they couldn't come with us," Kid said as they entered the next chapter.

"I envy them, can I go back?" Ame asked. Kid smacked the back of her head intolerantly.

"No, father sent us on a mission," Kid said. "Come on, you're a god, you're better than this."

"Oh, so if I was human, you'd let me go?"

"Stop letting it get to you," Kid said calmly. "We're in the chapter of envy. We should be careful."

"I thought we were supposed to be separated for this chapter," Ame said, looking into the black void around them.

"Eibon's probably expecting us at the end. He doesn't want us to get lost. Come on, we can't waste time."

"He's expecting us?" Ame questioned. "Who told him we were coming?"

Kid side-glanced at Ame. Was she just doing this as a social dictate of the plot, or did she honestly not know about Eibon? The chance that she'd relive so many different lives in this world and not know of Eibon were pretty slim, but Kid decided to answer her question as he saw fit.

"Eibon is an… old acquaintance of my father," Kid explained. "He's a wizard, and his power of knowledge is kind of dangerous. He's the embodiment of knowledge, I guess you could say."

"I see," Ame shifted her eyes forward in time to see figures materialize around them. They wore masks, and moved as if they were floating in the dark space that was the chapter.

"If it isn't Shinigami's son," one said mockingly. "You think you're smart. You'll never be at the top of your class like Maka is."

"Ugh," Kid scoffed. "I thought Eibon's welcoming crew would be more charming than this."

"I'm starting to feel more human now," Ame whispered.

"The all-powerful Amaterasu!" the voice mocked. "All-powerful? Maka defeated the Kishin without you. Why does the world suddenly need you to conquer all its enemies?"

"Go back to the chapter of Lust," a voice told Kid. "That's what you deserve after what you did. It was your petty lust that revived the demon lord."

"Will you shut up?" Kid asked politely.

"Aw, am I breaking down the young fragment's feelings?" he continued to laugh. "Be a man. You could never live up to your father's greatness and you know it. It's a good thing he found it in him to survive one last time."

Kid gritted his teeth. They were almost there.

"And Eibon knows it too."

Kid stopped walking. If Eibon knew, then was it a fact of nature?! It had to be. No, the voice was just trying to get to him to slow them down.

"Leave him alone," Ame said, putting a hand in front of him and shoving her ears forward. "You have no right to speak to him like that. Come on, Kid. The exit is right there."

**Chapter 4: Wrath**

Kid and Ame left the voices behind and entered a space with flames and volcanos.

"Hey, thanks," Kid said quietly. "Thank you for standing up for me like that. I wish I could have done the same for you."

"Don't worry about it," Ame smiled at him. "A human's words could never hurt me, really."

They moved into the depth of the chapter. Ame almost immediately stopped walking when a sudden force hit her. She stumbled back and looked back up, holding the side of her face. Kid was standing there with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Did you just hit me?" Ame had to ask.

"I had to do it once," Kid said. His shoulders swayed as he turned around. "Come on."

"Why the hell?!" Ame demanded. "What'd you hit me for?"

"Because you're stupid, now come on."

"Why you—!"

"Come on, this is just anger," Kid said. "I'm always angry at you, but you never care. Come on, let's go."

"I can't tell if you're trying to console me or justify your own actions."

She sighed as she continued following him. Well, as long as they were there, they might as well argue more.

"There's only one thing in this world that will keep a man going," Ame said. Kid recognized this line.

"Revenge?" he asked.

"Nope," Ame turned and gave him a cheeky thumbs-up. "Women!"

"You're starting to make me angry again!" Kid snapped. "Just move your butt so we can get out of hell."

**Chapter 5: Pride**

Kid felt instant waves of calm as he entered the large building. It looked like the Taj Mahal, minus the dead people.

"We made it," Ame said happily. "We're almost out."

"I just saved your life," Kid gloated.

"I could stand on my own," Ame muttered, looking away.

"Please, stop being such a proud wolf," he said. "Admit that you're proud of me."

"Are you proud of yourself?" Ame asked incredulously. "Ya hit me."

"Is there a problem with that?"

Hmm, it felt like Kid just asked that because he couldn't think of something better to ask. But seriously, folks, I'm forced by the media to say that domestic violence is wrong and I do not mean to promote it in this fanfiction.

Ame sighed. "Your father babies you too much."

"What has this got to do with my father?" Kid inquired. "He didn't do anything."

"He saved me," Ame said.

Kid cringed, her words like needles against the balloon of his pride. She was right. He couldn't forget his failures, or his triumphs. It all happened in balance.

"Now, rub me between the ears and tell me how well I did," Ame commanded, sipping a cup of tea.

"Where did the tea come from?!"

**Chapter 6: Sloth**

"I guess we're almost done," Kid said. "I wonder how the others are doing."

**Meanwhile, back in chapter 2…**

"Have you tried these strawberry crepes?" Liz asked Maka. "They're divine!"

"Amazing!" Maka cheered, taking another bite of one.

** Back to chapter 6**

"Should we wait for them?" Kid wondered out loud. "No, we should keep moving. Come on, Ame."

He took Ame's hand gently and began pulling her through the large white space. This chapter should be a piece of cake. Even though Kid felt a little tired, he was still full of energy from the last chapter, and he was always a hard worker. He should be fine. However, he felt Ame tug once on his hand before releasing it entirely. Kid stopped walking and turned around. Ame was kneeling on the ground. She swayed slightly before laying on her side.

"Ame?" he asked, kneeling next to her. "Are you alright?"

"I… need to rest for a bit," she said. She pressed her lips together and curled up. "I don't feel so good."

"Get up," Kid ordered. "You can't stop yet; we're so close."

He put a hand on her shoulder. Her pulse was weakening, and her breathing was slow.

"No," Kid shook her. "No, you can't do this, Ame! Ame, come on, get up. Don't you see that you're killing yourself?! Get up!"

Ame didn't respond. Everything was going black. She felt sick. Kid was yelling at her, his anger possibly returning.

"Come on, Ame! I'm not messing around anymore! Move, dammit!" Kid shook her again. Ame was completely still now. Her eyes were only half open, and her chest had stopped moving. Kid began to panic. "Ame… Ame, breathe. You can't do this."

"Please stop…" Ame thought. "Stop nagging me. Do you have any idea how much pain this causes me? I just want to rest for a while…."

"I won't let you!" Kid shouted.

Ame's eyes snapped open and she sat up with a jolt. She turned to look at Kid, who smiled in relief.

"Thank goodness," he said before collapsing onto her shoulder. "I thought I'd lost you."

Ame held him up and pulled him to his feet. Together, they exited the chapter and continued on.

**Chapter 7: Greed **

The chapter of Greed was written for humans, definitely. It was presented as a land of riches. It rained money and lucky cats stood tall among the chapter. As a wolf, Ame honestly had no affinity for such objects. If the chapter were to be somehow rewritten to contain a flock of sheep to eat, she might have been at least a little fazed. Kid wasn't that enamored by the thought of material riches either. It was just more distance to walk, really.

"It just occurred to me," Ame said. "This Eibon guy knows we are coming, he knows why we're coming, but he's still making us come get him!"

"Is this you being greedy?" Kid wondered. "Are you… like, does the idea of being lazy just appeal to you like a material gain or something?"

"Will you shut up and answer my question?" Ame frowned.

"Well, I guess Eibon is like you in that sense," Kid sighed. "He just thinks it's all a game."

"Shouldn't he be here already?" Ame asked. "This is the last chapter."

"No good," Kid stopped walking as something dawned on him. "I can't feel his soul wavelength. There's no one here."

"You mean we went through all that for nothing?" Ame demanded.

"You really are greedy about time management," Kid realized.


	24. Chapter 24

They all exited the book safely. When Lord Death realized that Eibon wasn't with them, he got concerned.

"He wasn't there," Kid explained rather begrudgingly.

"He wasn't there," Ame repeated in an exaggerated tone. Her body made an odd curve as she put her hands on her hips in obvious annoyance. "So, Death, explain that."

"What is her problem?" Lord Death asked Kid.

"She has a thing for time management?" Kid shrugged. "I really don't know."

"Time management?" Spirit asked. He let out a short laugh. "Yeah, then this little adventure must have _really_ pissed her off."

Ame turned her head slowly to glare at him. He held his hands up defensively and backed away.

"Easy, girl, stay," he mumbled quietly.

Eibon's Return; Into the Lost Island?

After some consideration, Lord Death decided he'd send Kid out alone to find Eibon. There was only one other place Eibon would be.

"Kid, I'm sending you to Lost Island," Lord Death told him the next day. "That's the only place I think Eibon would be."

Kid recognized that name. He'd seen Eibon on Lost Island on a failed mission to retrieve the Magic Tool BREW. He wasn't really sure about Eibon, but if it was between a wizard and an entity of pure evil, what choice did he have? Ame tilted her head uncertainly. Was she going to stay behind?

"I'll be going alone?" Kid asked.

"Yes," Lord Death nodded. "Ame, you'll have to stay here. Until we either get more death scythes here or news on the Demon Lord, I can't let you go on a mission like this."

Ame looked down. "I understand."

"If he already knows all, why is he waiting for us to come get him?" Kid asked. "Why won't he just come on his own?"

"That's the thing," Lord Death said thoughtfully. "The reason Eibon is not an absolute god. He thinks of the world as a game, you see? There is no absolute right or wrong, and he doesn't take it seriously enough sometimes. In a way, he doesn't value life, and he doesn't honor death."

Kid frowned. How could someone not consider life or death?

"He holds gods equal to humans," Lord Death continued. "That's all it is."

The island was cold. I mean, really cold. Liz and Patti curled up next to each other to conserve heat.

"I don't know why we came along," Liz said. "We're just waiting outside while Kid spends who knows how long with that Eibon guy?"

Meanwhile, within the magnetic field, Kid was walking along the pathways around the research facility. Images of witches moved around him, flickering every so often.

"I guess Ame wouldn't have remembered this," Kid said. "This was after Ikiru went into hiding."

Kid stopped walking and glanced up. Eibon was close; he could sense his soul wavelength. There was a figure just to the side of the pathway, standing next to a pillar as if he had been hiding behind it at a different angle. He was covered in layered robes, and he wore a very odd mask.

"Eibon…" Kid said, more in mutual acknowledgement than greeting. "You are the real thing. I need to talk to you."

"You're here about the Demon Lord, who has been resurrected from manifestations of sin," Eibon said matter-of-factly. His voice was unsteady. "That's what you came for. However, there are many other things weighing on your mind, Kid."

"You can see through everything," Kid noted.

_Strange,_ Kid thought. _Why do I feel like this is familiar? It's like… déjà vu or something._

"You know why I'm here, right? I don't have to explain everything?"

"You've grown up well in this world," Eibon said, his voice raspy. "Very well, indeed."

Kid's eyes widened and he felt his body freeze. _Is he talking about Ame…?_

Eibon let out a laugh.

"You came here knowing that I know everything," Eibon spoke again, his voice filled with amusement. "Yet you're surprised that I know about how our souls have travelled from universe to parallel universe. It's simply for this reason that I choose not to know her."

"You choose?" Kid asked. "Why wouldn't you want to know everything about Ame?"

"It's not that I don't want to know her," Eibon shrugged. "I'd just like to meet her and find out for myself. I know that it will be more fun that way."

Kid didn't understand any of this, but he didn't come here to talk about Ame.

"Fine," Eibon sighed. "I'll come with you to Death's school. Just let me gather a few things…."

Eibon turned and began searching the field nearby. It seemed that he'd stashed more than a few things in various hiding places while he was staying there.

_He's a hoarder!_ Kid thought, waiting patiently.

Eibon muttered to himself as he gathered a couple of madness artifacts, a string of prayer beads, and a box of paper?

"It's a little something I made for Ame," Eibon explained.

"I thought you chose not to know her," Kid said.

"I cheat a little bit," Eibon admitted. Kid suppressed a grin as they began to travel to the edge of the magnetic field.

Soul Eater

"So, you've really never met Eibon?" Lord Death asked. Ame shook her head. "Never? I mean, you reset the world 800 times…."

"I don't know him," Ame said. "I guess he just never showed up."

"What are the chances," Lord Death sighed. "Okay. He and Kid should be here any moment now. Remember to be nice."

"Why do you think you have to remind me?" Ame asked. "I know not to tackle people I just meet, and I should look them in the eye and shake hands and ask them how they are."

"Well, that's for when you meet a normal person," Lord Death said. Ame turned her head.

"Myu?"

"There," Lord Death looked up to greet the two walking down the guillotine hallway. "Hello, hello! It's been a long time, old friend. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you," Eibon nodded. He turned sharply to look at Ame, who was staring at him shamelessly. "So this is O-kami Amaterasu… in the flesh."

"Okami?" Kid questioned too quietly for the others to notice.

"Yes, you remember Ikiru, right?" Lord Death asked. Eibon cringed and looked away.

"Are you kidding? She's probably the only one I fear." He rather awkwardly looked up. Ame was still staring at him. Eibon took her in, but realized there wasn't that much to take in. "Although I don't think this pipsqueak could do near as much damage as Ikiru."

"Excuse me?!" Ame snapped. There was obviously nothing the others could do to stop her from transforming into a white wolf and showing off her divine power by setting off a series of explosions that landed Eibon on the ground a few feet away from them.

"I wouldn't be so careless, Ei," Lord Death said. "She'll still put you on your ass, just like Ikiru did."

"Forgive me," Eibon said, sweat-dropping. "I should be more respectful to a being of your great power. I should introduce myself properly. I am the wizard Eibon."

"And?" Ame prompted.

Kid facepalmed. How could she be so… herself? At that moment, he felt as if he had failed in teaching her how to be polite to people. However, Eibon didn't seem to mind much. He actually laughed as if he enjoyed Ame's behavior.

"You have a lot of your mother in you," he said. Ame looked surprised, but shook her head and gave him a stern look.

"That's not what I wanted to hear from you!" Ame snapped.

"I know what you want," Eibon continued. "But I refuse to fight you."

"You refuse to know who'd win," Ame said.

"This is true," Eibon said.

"Want some tea?" Lord Death asked. He and Kid had moved to sit at the table with freshly brewed tea.

"Kid, you too?" Ame asked.

"It feels odd being the one that doesn't take things seriously for a change," Kid admitted.

"You didn't drag me here to drink tea," Eibon hissed quietly at Death as he sat down.

"Shut up and stop being a know it all," Lord Death shot back. "You aren't on Ame's good side yet. Stop being so stand-offish all the time."

"Fine." Eibon sighed and turned to the table. He removed his hood and mask, revealing his face for the first time. His hair was a shade of brunette, and his eyes were a deep green. Not the bright green of Ame's left eye, but a deep, forest green. Ame averted her eyes.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't come to Lost Island to meet you," she apologized. "I had a few things to attend to in Death City."

"She's being polite now," Kid noted to himself.

"It doesn't matter," Eibon said indifferently. "Maybe you'll come visit me later."

"Maybe, huh?" Ame asked.

"There are infinites in this world, Okami," Eibon said. "Life and Death being among them. There is an infinite chance that you could drink the tea, but there is also an infinite that you could not drink the tea, or drink something else. It's all about decisions. However, there are some infinities that are unknown, thus undecided. Perhaps if this tea was actually sake and no one knew. Would time consider we be drinking tea or sake? This is the limit to my power. I only know this world as it is. I know not what it _can_ become if choices made by certain people… change."

"Well, I'm not drinking the tea," Ame said as if she didn't really care. She'd probably stopped listening a long time ago. She traced her finger around the rim of her tea cup, filling it to the brim with rice wine. She handed it to Eibon with a friendly smile. Eibon took it hesitantly before taking a sip. He smiled.

"Friends, then?" he proposed, holding out his hand.

"We're friends," Ame said, putting a small hand on his. Eibon suddenly realized how small she was. Not just her body, but her mind and her soul. Her soul was abnormally small for the amount of power it held. Eibon couldn't really resist reaching forward and patting Ame on the head like a dog. She seemed to like it, if anything.

"So, tell me, Amaterasu—"

"Just Ame," she corrected him.

"You've gotten the world into a bit of trouble recently."

"Don't remind me," Ame put her head down on the table.

"It seems that the Demon Lord, with the help of Inuyasha, was able to replicate your body and power. The Demon Lord is now an infinite identical to yours. However, with your endless power is a certain limit."

He seemed thoughtful as he said this, staring into the cup of rice wine on the table. Ame tilted her head.

"The Demon Lord… what are you implying?" she asked.

"If you look to broaden your skills as a god since the Demon Lord recreated himself as you," Eibon said. "Do you think that the Demon Lord would know how to fight a being of ultimate, ungodly knowledge?"

"I thought you said you weren't going to fight," Kid said.

"It's just a theory," Eibon said. "What if Ame began perfecting skills that she, as a wolf or Inochigami, could not master on her own? For instance, you can't swim!"

He pointed an accusing finger at Ame, who sniffed arrogantly.

"I can swim fine," she said. She ducked her head and began to mumble. "I just can't go underwater or go very fast or anything." She snapped her head up. "Why would I need to be able to swim when I can walk on water, anyway?"

"That's the point!" Eibon said. "You can walk on water; the Demon Lord can walk on water. You can't swim, so the Demon Lord can't swim. If you learn how to swim, you'd have the upper hand in a water battle."

"I guess I understand," Ame said. She turned to Lord Death. "But, Death, I doubt you'll allow me to grow stronger than I already am with this state of distrust in the academy."

"We'll get that taken care of," Lord Death replied. "Our next ally arrives tonight. He'll be able to clear up any doubts about you."

Ame blinked. "Just who is this guy supposed to be?"

Outside the city, said ally stopped to take in the city.

"Death City," he said to no one in particular. "It's been a couple years. I haven't been here since the defeat of Asura. I even missed the last coming of the Demon Lord. Well, I guess now's as good a time as any."

This man was none other than Joe Buttataki, the head of the academy's "Internal Affairs" division. His special abilities include superb soul perception and exceptional combat skills. The most notable of his skills, and the skill that will clear up any doubt harbored against Ame, is his ability to detect lies.

But we all know Ame will find a way to screw that up.


	25. Chapter 25

The next day, Ame sat in the interrogation room on her own. She was just waiting for this Joe guy to enter the room. She could hear him talking to Spirit right outside the door. She wasn't sure why they were out there; just because the walls were soundproof didn't stop her from hearing them. Maybe it was social convention or something. She was, however, unaware that Lord Death, Kid, and Eibon were watching over the investigation through Lord Death's mirror.

"You seem a bit edgy, Kid," Lord Death noticed.

"I'm fine," Kid looked down self-consciously. He was a bit nervous, given how dishonest Ame seemed to be of late. He was eager to know the truth about a few things.

Ame's ears perked up when she heard Spirit and Joe enter the room. Joe took a seat in front of Ame whilst Spirit stood calmly in the corner. Ame had probably never seen the man so serious before, at least not in this world. Ame watched Joe glance over a clip board, her tail flicking passively to pass the time. He didn't look like much, but he didn't look like nothing either. He seemed serious on the job, but he was a nice guy. The thing that Ame noticed most about him was his smell. He smelled of a certain brand of fancy coffee beans.

"Name?" Joe asked.

"Rena Ryugu," Ame rolled her eyes. Joe gave her a rather stern look. "Amaterasu, bitch."

"Occupation?" Joe continued.

"Savior of the world!" Ame yelled, childishly enraged. She got to her feet and glared at Spirit. The death weapon just stood there, so Ame decided to sit back down. She leaned back in the chair and crossed her legs. Joe looked up at her.

"Are you a spy?" he asked a serious question.

"Yes." Ame replied immediately.

In the Death Room, Eibon burst out laughing. Lord Death simply sighed exasperatedly, and Kid put his hand over his face.

Spirit glanced at Joe, unsure how he'd react. However, Joe smiled.

"I see," he said. "And what faction are you a spy for?"

Ame didn't think of that. She blushed and looked away.

Eibon immediately stopped laughing. "How disappointing."

"Are you a spy or not?" Joe asked, slightly amused.

"Of course not," Ame frowned, puffing out her cheeks.

"I read the reports of the Demon Lord's return," Joe informed her. "I also received a great amount of information from Death the Kid, who told me of all your suspicious behavior under the radar. You said that you went into hiding to enter the Grim World. Exactly when did you do this?"

"The day that no one expected anything bad to happen," Ame replied quietly, looking down at her lap. She fiddled with her hands quietly. "Let's see… May, June, July has thirty-one days, then carry the five…."

Joe glanced at Spirit, who sweat-dropped and shrugged.

"July 14th," Ame finally came up with an answer.

_That was the day of her Madness attack_, Joe thought, referring back to the clipboard. "There's a report here saying you had come to the school after killing a sheep from a farm outside of Death City. You assaulted several students and a teacher. Now."

He leaned forward and put his fist in the center of her chest.

"No messing around this time," he said firmly. "Was it you who attacked those people?"

"No," Ame replied earnestly. Joe pulled away and flipped a few pages over the back of the clipboard.

"Were you gone the entire time from July 14th to the day the Demon Lord returned?"

"Yes," Ame nodded.

"Why did you go alone?" he asked.

"I am only able to transport my own soul between worlds," Ame replied.

"Why didn't you inform anyone of where you were going?"

"Kid and I had just broken up, and I didn't want to bother anyone with it," Ame shrugged. "Besides, I didn't think it would take so long."

"Why did it take so long?" Joe continued. "What exactly happened in the Grim World?"

"I sensed a simple disturbance," Ame replied. "That's all I can describe it as. So I went, but I couldn't find anything wrong. There were no disrupted spirits or anything, just silence. That bad feeling I'd had was just a tease." Her eyes narrowed as she stared forward distastefully. "It was a ploy."

"Do you think this ploy has anything to do with the Demon Lord's return?"

Ame straightened her legs and folded her hands in her lap. Her voice was different when she replied. Calm, mature… almost like she was a different person.

"I think I know how that is," she said. "Inuyasha has been in touch with evil forces for a while now. I think that when he realized he could bring the Demon Lord back, he decided to get rid of some of us so we wouldn't interfere like when we defeated Sidoh. He's the only one of my Zodiac that could or would cause a false disruption to bait me away. After I left, he brought the Demon Lord back in my form to take my place."

"Interesting," Joe glanced at the clipboard one more time. "You're one impressive investigator to figure all that out by yourself. However," his tone become accusing. "You figured that out way too perfectly. Is this a set-up for the academy to entrust something to you so you could use it to your own advantage?"

"That's a stupid question," Ame said, regaining her cocky attitude. "If I wanted anything from the academy, I would have taken it long ago."

"Are you sure you wouldn't forge all these incidents to make things more interesting?" he asked. Ame frowned.

"That does sound like something I'd do, huh?" Ame sighed and hunched over in her chair. "After all, I've altered the time space continuum more times than I can count, and all for what? Stupid."

Joe stared at her in shock for a few moments. Spirit tensed. He'd forgotten to mention that, so Joe was oblivious to this little detail. Joe regained his composure and placed his fist back on Ame's chest.

"Could you repeat that, please?" he asked.

"I've altered the space time continuum eight hundred times," Ame said with a cocky smirk.

"And how did you do that?" Joe asked, keeping his hand on her chest.

"I combined the power of my time-slowing power with madness to reverse time a certain amount."

"And why did you do this?"

"Look, sir, I'm not here to teach you all about my form of Madness," Ame said, a little tired with the questions. "If you want to know, take Sayo's class; I'm sure she'd be happier to teach you."

"About that," Spirit interrupted with an apologetic smirk. "Yeah, that checks out. Ame actually did that to save Kid and several others involved with the DWMA, so that was good on her part."

"Can I go now?" Ame asked. She was more than a little tired now.

"Just one last question," Joe held up a hand. "Do you know of anyone untrustworthy in the DWMA?"

Ame thought hard about it for a moment. No one that she'd thought was suspicious had been allowed in the school, so it should have been easy.

"I can leave after I answer this question?" Ame had to make sure.

"Just answer the question."

"The answer is you," Ame replied shortly, raising her head to glare at him.

"What?!"

Eibon glanced up at the mirror. He'd gotten kind of bored with the interview as Ame had. But this new development made him laugh even harder.

"Wait a minute," Lord Death said. "If Ame doesn't trust Joe, and Joe doesn't trust Ame… who gets to call the shots around here?"

"That's a good point," Kid sighed and rolled his eyes. As far as he was concerned, Ame and Joe were both idiots.

"Ame," Spirit tried to reason with the girl. "Doesn't BJ seem like a trustworthy guy to you?"

"No," Ame growled quietly, staring at Joe with wide, feral eyes.

"But I'm nobody suspicious!" Joe shook his head. "I'm just a guy who likes coffee is all!"

And so the interview was concluded with the trustworthy source and the not-so-trustworthy source in disagreement.

**I know I haven't been uploading chapters as I type them; I just don't want to screw up and then have to replace chapters and tell you guys to go back and re-read them (^_^;)**


	26. Chapter 26

After regaining the academy's trust, Ame could resume training with the others. Aside from helping with the common defense unit with her brothers and the aforementioned girl scouts, Ame pursued her own personal training to improve herself, just like Eibon had suggested.

"Let's not try to bother the gods just yet," Kid said. "I need to know if you have the motivation to do this. Let's try basic combat."

Ame's skills were fair, as she'd been taught; her rosaries were like whips, her reflectors were a combination of shields and frying pans, her swords being, well, swords. As long as the rosaries were, they could only go so far. There was a length that she couldn't hit anything. She did try cutting one of her rosary's beads off and shooting it like a bullet, but even then she could only shoot one at a time and her accuracy was off.

"I see what you're trying to do," Kid said. "But it isn't quite working. Why don't you try using something like a gun or a bow to help with your accuracy? You know, so you don't strain your godly power."

"Alright," Ame nodded. "I can try that."

"I can help with that," Liz said, transforming and landing gently in Ame's hand. Ame flinched, and it looked like she power-slashed Liz away from her. It wasn't until Kid saw the burn marks on Ame's hand that it occurred to him that Ame couldn't wield human weapons.

"Sorry, Ame," Liz apologized. "I wasn't thinking about it."

"We have to use normal weapons," Kid said. "Come on, we can go to the shooting range, and you can try archery."

One at the shooting range, since Kid knew nothing about archery, he paid for Ame to have private lessons with a professional instructor before leaving, saying he'd be back at five. The archery instructor was a fair woman with red hair and blue eyes. She was in her early thirties, and looked very athletic.

"Hi, Ame," she smiled. "I'm Mara; I'm the professional instructor person. So, just come back here and we'll go over a few things."

Ame followed Mara to a nice glade behind the building where the staff had cut the grass and set up targets some feet away. Mara went over some safety regulations with Ame beforehand, which took a while, before giving Ame a bow and walking her through shooting.

"Now pull the string back and tether it at the corner of your mouth. Good, good. Now relax, aim, and release!"

Ame did exactly as she was told, but the arrow flicked off her string and landed horizontally two inches away. Ame was confused. Was that supposed to happen? Meanwhile, Mara was cracking up. Flustered, Ame tried again, and managed to get the arrow a little farther.

"You're not pulling back far enough," Mara said. "Draw it back like you mean it."

Ame nocked another arrow and lifted the bow to her eye level. She coiled her right arm, pulling the cord back to the corner of her mouth. Her eyes shifted slightly as she focused on the target. She released the arrow with determination.

And sent it flying into the forest.

"I missed," she said.

"I can see that," Mara said. "Now go get it."

Soul Eater

"I don't know how Kid can fuss about using both hands like this," Ame complained after about two hours of not hitting the target.

"You're not focusing enough," Mara said for the hundredth time, pacing the length of the range. She said it was to examine Ame's form, but she was honestly just getting bored. She'd never had a student do so poorly.

"I'm trying my hardest!" Ame snapped back, her tail twitching in frustration.

"Well, you have to try harder!"

"Hmph," Ame sniffed and flicked another arrow forward. The cord slapped against her arm and she winced. Her arms were sore and she was tired; she'd much rather be indoors, where it was cool. She mentally reprimanded herself for such thoughts; living in a human environment has weakened her.

She lowered the bow, her shoulders sagging.

"Why am I doing this?" she asked. Mara stopped pacing.

"You can't be quitting now," Mara said.

"I am," Ame said solemnly. "This isn't what I returned for. I didn't come to kill and destroy. I didn't come to be human. I am a wolf, and if I can't fight like it, I'd rather not waste your time."

"Wait just a minute!" Mara snapped. "You've been doing so well. You can't just give up on something just because you aren't perfect. You need to be patient and—"

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Ame snapped, her lips curling back to reveal her fangs for a split second. "It's not where I shoot the arrow, it's how I know how to shoot it. You only aim for the red center of the entire object, but you have to think past that! You say you have a specific form which helps you hit the target when you aim, but that can't be all there is to it. You need to know why you're hitting the target. I'm not here to learn a long-range art, I'm here to one-up the Demon Lord that stole everything from me, and I'm here to do it as a wolf goddess. If your weapons can't accept me, I can't accept your weapons."

"You're so useless."

Ame jumped slightly; she hadn't seen Kid standing a few feet away from them. It was probably late enough that he'd come to pick her up. He didn't look angry, but looks can be deceiving. He closed the distance between them and stared at her trembling arms.

"You can't lose your drive to learn new things, Ame," he said. "If we can't teach you as a wolf, then you're just going to have to learn as a human. I know you can; I know it's in you."

Ame avoided his gaze.

"It would be inconvenient," he continued. "You're slower in your human form; that's just something we can't do anything about. But if you can learn this as a human."

He lifted her head and forced her to look at him. He smirked slightly when he saw her hideously beautiful, asymmetrical eyes.

"We can't be stopped by the demon lord. Now try again."

He backed away from her, folding his hands behind his back as he watched her flimsy form. She pulled another arrow back and hesitated. She bent her arm at the last minute, to avoid the cord hitting her arm again. The arrow flew sideways and hit a tree.

"Oh, that poor tree," Ame said.

"No good," Kid said, rearranging her arms unhappily. "Your form's all over the place; that's why you keep hitting yourself. And I don't think you have enough upper body strength to keep your arm bent and have enough time to aim before you get tired." He sighed and took her bow for a moment. "These new bows. I never liked them that much. Just try with your left arm bent; I don't think you'll hit yourself again."

Ame still hesitated slightly. Her body trembled in the heat. She inhaled, her ears flicking slightly. The target was just a few meters away; this should be easy. She could hit it. She released the arrow, and it hit the target's second inner ring.

"Perfect!" Mara said. "That's very good, Ame."

"You suck," Kid alleged. "But we'll make do. Thank you for your time, Mara, but Ame and I will be going now."

"Come again if you have any troubles."

Ame smiled graciously, but as soon as she left, she was scowling at the ground. Kid was right; she was utterly horrible. But why hadn't Mara said anything about it?

"She's afraid of you," Kid said. "They're all afraid of you. I'd hoped this wouldn't have happened, but I just can't find a teacher that will be honest with you."

"That's too bad."

"You're damn right, it's too bad!" Kid yelled. "You're so lazy!"

"Then what do you want me to do about it?!" Ame snapped back.

"Stop… being so lazy," Kid said. "And I'll teach you what I can until I can find you a better teacher."


	27. Chapter 27

It was five in the morning when Ame felt herself roll off the bed and crash to the ground.

"Time to get up," Kid said. He threw a wad of fabric at her. "Put this on. We're going to the pool."

"But it's five in the morning," Ame whined. "Let's go later."

"We're going now; I rented to pool early for us, so no one will disturb your training."

Something suddenly clicked in her mind.

"Training at the pool?! But I can walk on water."

"So can the demon lord," Kid said. "Now you have to learn to swim."

Kid's a Mean Teacher! New Skills for an Old Wolf?

The sun had risen slightly by the time Kid and Ame had arrived at the pool. They were the only ones there; it was closed today, but Kid had paid the manager extra to let them train for the day. Kid waited on the edge while Ame got in. She didn't complain about the water being cold; she was a wolf, she could handle it. The water felt nice, actually.

"Used to the water yet?" Kid asked. Ame nodded. "Good. You should warm up a little. Swim the length of the pool, touch the opposite wall, and come back. Don't try to go fast or anything; this is just for a warm-up."

"Right," Ame nodded. She kicked off one end and began doggy/wolfy-paddling to the other side. Her head was tilted back, as if she couldn't let her nose touch the water.

"I guess that's a wolf thing," Kid mumbled to himself, making metal notes about her form as she went. "I don't think it'll be worth-while to teach her anything that she couldn't also do in her wolf form. I guess she can't breathe underwater, so she's going out of her way to keep her head above the water."

"How's that?" Ame asked once she'd reached the shallow end again.

"Go under," Kid instructed.

"Huh?"

"Hold your breath and go underwater. I want to see how long you last."

"Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea…"

"Just do it."

Ame was suddenly aware of how empty the pool was. What if there was something on the other side of the pool? She wasn't good under water; her ink was utterly useless. She backed up against the wall and gasped before splashing down. Kid hit a button on the stopwatch around his neck. He watched her under the water. She moved as little as possible; her eyes were closed, and she was drawn in, as if she was in a small space. He knew what she was doing. She was trying to forget how vulnerable she really was by acting like she was in a smaller space.

It was only a few seconds before Ame freaked and lunged above the water again, gasping for breath.

"You can't be serious!" Kid snapped. "You have the lungs of a water flea!"

"I tried!" Ame shot back, putting her hands on her hips.

"And you've already regained your breath," Kid sighed. "Try again, and this time stay under!"

Ame sank under once more, this time waiting until her lungs began burning for air. She glanced above the water, but saw Kid shake his head slightly. She puffed out her cheeks self-consciously and looked down. She waited and waited. And waited. Her vision began to blur when Kid finally signaled with his hand that she could come up. She gasped for air, rubbing the water out of her eyes.

Kid glanced at his watch and sighed.

"Okay, let's work on your speed. Transform, if you must, just swim as fast as you can from one end to the other."

"Okay," Ame nodded. She tore across the pool with the speed of a water flea. Kid sighed.

"We've got a long way to go," he said. "Don't save that burst of speed for the end; this is swimming, not horseracing!"

Ame touched the opposite wall of the pool and spun around to kick back. She was slowing down.

"Is that the best you can do?!" Kid shouted after her. "You may beat Kazegami in the air, but you sure can't beat Nuregami in the water!"

Ame was panting slightly as she touched the shallow end once more.

"Do it again," Kid instructed. "And this time, swim harder!"

"Okay," Ame nodded, lunging into the water and kicking to give herself a burst of speed every so often.

"That's pathetic! Even Liz can swim faster than that!"

"Well, she's really hot and athletic and stuff!"

Ame hung onto the edge, panting slightly.

"Resting?" Kid asked calmly. He got down on his knees and reached out to put a hand over her face. He shoved her under and held her there for a long time as she thrashed around underneath him.

"Bleh!" Ame spat as she finally resurfaced. "Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Yes," Kid replied. Ame glared at him. "Oh, come on. You can do better than that. Now try again."

"Right," Ame nodded. She kicked off the wall and tackled the water.

"Try using your hind legs for power," Kid called after her. "If you're just using your front legs, you'll never get anywhere."

Ame was getting tired of this exercise, and Kid could tell. He changed it up as soon as she finished her lap.

"I want you to try to hold your breath and swim under water. I'm just going to watch."

"Okay."

"Just swim as far out as you can, and try to get to the other end."

"Okay!" Ame sank under and kicked off. She was getting faster. Kid watched her resurface about halfway down.

"That was pathetic! That wasn't even halfway!"

They were at it for hours. The sun was directly over the pool when Ame noticed others entering the pool area.

"YAHOO!"

SPLASH

"Blackstar!" Kid yelled. Said ninja had bounded right over the fence and canon-balled into the pool, making a huge splash and washing Ame back to the shallow end. "What are you doing here?"

"We heard you rented the pool today," Blackstar said. "What better time to swim than when we have it all to ourselves?"

"Ame and I are training, leave us alone!" Kid snapped.

"Oh, come on, I won't bother ya!"

"Sorry about this," Tsubaki apologized once she and Liz entered the premises through the gate. "I tried telling Blackstar not to come, but he does whatever he wants."

"It's alright, I don't blame you," Kid sighed. He glanced at Liz, who had dropped the bags she was carrying and began taking her clothes off. "…. What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know," Liz said, shrugging off her jacket to show off her revealing bikini top. "Since we're here, we might as well cool off, right?"

"Not you too," Kid sighed. "Did you bring the stuff I told you to?"

"Yeah," Liz began rummaging through the bags. "I got some diving batons and I brought some lunch for you two."

"Great, thanks," Kid smiled gratefully and glanced out at Ame. "Ame, you can take a break now; you've done well enough."

Ame resurfaced and lifted herself out of the water to sit on the edge of the pool.

"Here," Kid said, offering her a sandwich. "Eat slowly; we still have a lot of work to do."

"Thank you," she said.

"So how's it coming, you two?" Liz asked, sitting down with Kid, Ame, and Tsubaki. Blackstar was too busy enjoying himself to join them.

"Don't ask," Kid sighed.

"That bad, huh?" Tsubaki asked. "I thought you would be farther along than that."

Ame had finished eating and was lying on her side, catching up on what sleep she didn't get that morning. Kid watched her for a moment to make sure she was really asleep before answering.

"She's doing okay," Kid said. "It's just tiring. I couldn't find any human instructor in Death City that would help her. They'd take her in, but they wouldn't be hard on her. They'd let her slack off."

"Why?"

"They're afraid of her," Kid said. "After she attacked the representative for the government, everyone's been withholding with her. It's just that she's an animal and not human. She's been having so much trouble just learning how to use long-range weapons."

"I can talk to Sid about long-range training," Blackstar offered, suddenly deciding to pay attention. "There's a training room at the academy, remember? There's plenty of room for her to horse around in there."

"Thanks, Blackstar, that's probably the most helpful thing you've ever done."

Kid checked his watch and gave Ame a nudge.

"Come on, back to it," he nagged. Ame sat up and stretched her arms, slipping into the water.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked, her eyes still half-closed.

"How about you retrieve this for me?" Kid asked, holding up a red baton. Ame perked up. Kid chose the color baton correctly; if the baton had been a different color, she might not have been so excited. "It'll sink when I throw it, so if you can't touch the bottom at the other end, you'll have to get it fast, okay?"

"Okay!" Ame said, jumping up in a splash of water.

"Ready?" Kid wound his arm aback and threw the baton across the pool. "Fetch!"

Ame shot after it, her body moving similarly to a dolphin in order to rush across the pool and dive under in time.

"That's much better!" Kid called after her. She curved under the water and spun like a corkscrew to go farther under the water. "She's actually moving at a good speed now. I guess she just needed to be in the water for a while before her instinct kicked in."

"She's almost like a dolphin," Liz said, kicking her legs in the water gently. Her voice lowered considerably as something crossed her mind. "Hey, Kid? I've been wondering about something."

"What is it?" Kid asked, taking notice of her change in tone. He kicked off his flip-flops and sat down next to her. Liz still didn't look at him.

"You know when you and Ame… fought Ninetails?"

Kid's shoulders sagged slightly. "Yes. What about it?"

"Well, Ame transformed into a bird, right?"

"She… grew wings, yes," Kid nodded. "I'm not quite sure how, though."

"You've seen it yourself, though," Liz said. "I was just thinking, what if she can transform into other things? Her body takes on a new form every time her soul evolves. What if she turns into, like, a fish or something?"

"Or a water flea," Kid suggested. Liz burst out laughing. "But no, that's impossible. Yuki blessed her next incarnation with that form. And now that Ninetails tore her wings out…."

Ame's upper body lifted out of the water as she dropped the baton on the edge of the pool.

"Good girl," Kid praised, rubbing between her ears. He threw two more to keep her occupied. "At this rate, we could go home early, but I'm not going to tell her that."

"You're so mean to her, Kid," Liz smirked. "Be careful about it; she's not tough like me and Patti. She'll get hurt."

"That's the kind of thing I'm trying to prevent," Kid explained. "She can be tough, I know it. If she is, maybe we won't have to deal with the Demon Lord again. She's just too good sometimes."

**Another chapter is concluded with plot and comedy. Leave a review telling me what you think, and if you'd like to see any other special training scenes with Kid and Ame, or maybe another teacher at the academy :)**


	28. Chapter 28

Eibon spent most days in the Death Room with Lord Death. It's just where he wanted to be, he'd said. He often watched student's missions with the reaper, but not much else. Over the course of so many centuries, he'd found the best way to pass time was to do nothing at all. He was a master of patience. Lord Death, on the other hand, insisted on interacting with others to pass time. He was always either trying to make conversation with Spirit or Eibon or just talking to himself.

"Kid told me Ame is doing well with her training," Lord Death told Eibon one day as they sat at the table drinking tea. Eibon didn't respond. The only term that could express how he felt was 'socially exhausted.' "I wonder what the Demon Lord is doing right now…."

Although Eibon didn't say anything, Lord Death knew he'd disturbed the wizard. He waited patiently for Eibon to say something.

"That girl doesn't know when to quit," he finally spoke up. "She just keeps going. Tell me, Death, is that a sin?"

"I don't believe in giving up," Lord Death said. "That would be the sin. Ame should try her hardest. Lately, we have only quit. Ikiru and Yuki… even Asura. Ame is bringing back that spirit of making things happen, even if it takes a lot of time and effort, you know?"

Eibon thought about it. He'd never really seen any difference between humans and gods, so he hadn't even taken it into consideration. He stared at his cup of tea with a passive smile.

Encounter; A Wager or a Truce?

Everything was fine. That sounds hard to believe, but nothing actually bad had happened since the revival of the world's most dangerous villain. However, no one let their guard down. They were ready when the Demon Lord attacked the school. She didn't look much different from the last time she'd been there, except her raven black hair was longer, and she now sported her own dark wardrobe instead of the torn shrine maiden outfit she'd stolen from Ame.

Everyone was fighting. They needed to get her out of the city before she caused any damage. They all knew that she could crush the entire city flat if she really tried, but she didn't. Her attacks weren't very serious, and she acted more like she was playing with them to get more used to Ame's brush powers than anything else.

"Why is she going easy on us?" Soul asked as he and Maka were thrown against a building.

"If she really wanted to, she could take care of all of us," Maka said. "She's already gotten rid of some of our lesser fighters."

"She's just playing now," Lord Death told the others. "She just wanted a final fight before we got the other death weapons in the city. She's probably just testing her power on some easy kill before launching a real attack."

"What are you waiting for, Demon?!" Ame demanded as she lunged at the Demon Lord. The other girl raised her black sword (styled similarly to Ame's Seven Strike), and easily repelled Ame's attack. She licked the red blood off her sword with a smirk.

"I tire of you always calling me by my title," she said, charging at Ame and attempting to stab her with her sword. Ame leapt straight up to dodge the attack, and the Demon Lord looked straight up and with a wave of her hand, drew a line of black blood from herself to Ame. She flew through the air until she was almost on top of Ame, and they clashed for a brief moment. "I'd much rather you call me by a name. Shiro, perhaps."

"Shiro?" Ame kicked the girl in the stomach and touched back down to the ground. She quickly reviewed what little she knew of the name. It was the word for castle or white, but it was also used as a male name. Ame meditated over the name more carefully. The only other thing she could come up with was the name of an anime character. She narrowed her eyes. No, that couldn't be right.

"Like the girl from that stupid television program," Shiro continued with an amused grin, swinging her blade over her shoulder. "Also called the 'Wretched Egg.' Able to fight and kill, and all she had to do… was bleed."

Ame growled. She hated how Shiro was able to make everything about Ame seem evil or perverse. Shiro had made herself into an almost carbon copy of Ame, and she was doing it all wrong. Ame darted around the courtyard before shooting an arrow at Shiro's back. The arrow stabbed her shoulder, but she was hardly fazed. She pulled the arrow out of her flesh forcefully and ran her tongue along its tip. Her grin widened, as if a fun thought just occurred to her.

"I see you've been learning some new tricks," she mused. "How about I show you something I've learned?"

She turned on her heal to face Ame, and for a moment, all Ame could see were Shiro's bloody red eyes. Then she saw it—she transformed! It was as if it was all a disguise. Well, actually, Ame wasn't sure what she saw; she wasn't even sure gods could do that.

"As you can see," Shiro said, her voice taking on a deeper tone. The demon now had a male form. "I can approach you as either a man or a woman, whichever you prefer."

"That's disgusting," Kid spat. Shiro frowned and shifted his gaze back to Ame.

"Let me show you something else I've learned," he dropped the arrow and threw the blood off his hand onto the ground. The blood ran between the stones and formed a strange pattern on the ground. It began to glow, and Ame felt that something bad was about to happen.

"Summon!" Shiro yelled. "Black Dragon!"

Ame felt her body pulsate once before she felt to her knees, her entire body quaking with spasms. Kid stood next to her protectively.

"Ame," he tried to talk to her. "What's happening?"

Ame couldn't speak. She felt black blood force itself from the pit of her stomach upwards, gushing out her mouth before she could stop it. She knew what Shiro was doing, but she couldn't even bring herself to stop it. Meanwhile, Kid was kneeling next to her, holding her still.

"Ame, you have to stop!" he yelled. If Shiro got enough of Ame's black blood, she could create manifestations of her own demon gods to fight against the gods of the Zodiac. Ame stared at the pool of blood on the ground clump together and rise off the ground in the form of a black, serpent-like dragon. It circled around Shiro once before pausing to float in an arc around him. Seeing the mischievous look in the demon's eye, Ame quickly forced herself to her feet and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. She looked up at the sky and drew a constellation of a white dragon in the midday sky.

"Yomigami!" she commanded. "Go!"

The white and red dragon lunged for its black counterpart and they began to battle it out. Ame couldn't do anymore for the fight. She slid back down to her knees, and felt familiar arms wrap securely around her.

"She's lost too much blood…"

That was the last thing she heard before everything went black.

Soul Eater

_How did she get there? Why was she there, imprisoned by her counterpart? Her evil counterpart? Why did he just take her like that? What could he possibly want, taking advantage of her like this? Of course. He just wanted to defile her. That was all. It wasn't for love, neither was it for the satisfaction of tasting her body…. He just wanted to hurt her._

"…she's still unconscious, but she should be alright."

Ame opened her eyes slowly at the sound of Kid's voice. She was in the dispensary, lying on a bed. He'd probably brought her here after she passed out. She wanted to get up. She wanted to know if the others were okay, and if Shiro was still around. She couldn't feel his soul response anywhere nearby, so she assumed it must be safe.

She looked up and saw Kid sitting next to her bed, reading a book quietly. He didn't seem at all worried about her; she'd only passed out from blood loss. He glanced up at her, and upon seeing that she was awake, let out a small sigh and closed his book.

"Ame…" he said quietly, reaching forward to hold one of her hands with his and put his other hand between her ears. He ran his hand down her neck and pulled her close in a tight hug. Ame didn't move in or resist. Even if no one was worried about her, this was still a tough time for everyone.

Maybe he just needed a hug.

After Ame recovered, she went to the Death Room to meet the other Death weapons. Marie, Spirit, Stein, and Azusa had gathered in the room, as well as Justin and four people Ame didn't know personally. Lord Death began introducing them as Dengu Dinga, the death scythe in charge of Africa—

"I see your call was finally accepted," Ame noted immediately.

"Shut up."

The other three were Tsar Pushka, the death scythe in charge of Eastern Europe, Djiin Galland, in charge of West Asia, and Tezca Tlipoca, who was in charge of South America. This guy puzzled Ame more than anyone else; although they were all pretty weird, Tezca-kuma didn't look human. He looked like a bear. In a suit. That had to be suspicious.

"Ame?" Lord Death tilted his head. "These guys have been with the academy for years; there's no need for doubt, really."

"Then why was your call rejected?!" Ame demanded.

"Will you just let that go already?!" Lord Death threw his arms up in the air in exasperation.

"So, this is Okami Amaterasu," Djiin said. He bowed once. "It's an honor to meet you."

"There's that word again," Ame said. "Why does everyone keep calling me 'wolf'? I mean, I assist in the previous saving of the entire Earth, and no one knows who I am. Then suddenly, I bit _one guy_ and everyone knows that I'm a freaking animal."

The other death weapons chuckled at her childishly prideful display. This only made Ame more upset, but before she could do anything brash, Azusa explained.

"Amaterasu, your first title wasn't 'Inochigami,' but it was actually 'Okami.' Depending on how it is written, the title could mean 'wolf,' or, in your case, 'greatest god.' It's a term of flattery and respect; by now, it's much more important to everyone that you're a powerful god. It no longer bothers anybody what species you take the form of."

"Is that so?" Ame hummed to herself as if she was distracted by something else. In her mind, she was paying close attention, but she was too embarrassed and flustered to come up with a decent reaction to everyone's sudden flattery. Besides, it wouldn't be unlike the DWMA to accept animals into their program; Tezca-kuma's meister was an ape. She wanted to say something to finish off that statement. 'Small world,' maybe?

She suddenly grinned and turned to Dengu. "I bet I'm the reason you finally took his call, huh?"

REAPER CHOP!

"Dammit, Ame!"


	29. Chapter 29

"Damn that reaper!" Shiro shouted in frustration. After the battle, he had retreated to his lair somewhere in the mountains. Inuyasha had been waiting for his return and, upon Shiro's appearance, he'd greeted him overzealously. Much to Shiro's annoyance.

"You got a hit on the wolf," Inuyasha said. "You got the Black Dragon."

"Stop being so damn optimistic all the time," Shiro growled. "I only got one of the eleven demons I needed."

Inuyasha picked up on his master's vibe and grumbled, "And now the DWMA is aware of your plan to make a demon army."

A sly grin stretched across Shiro's face. "Perhaps… but I think that's for the best. After all, we hardly needed eleven other demons to overthrow Death alone."

"Then why are you trying so hard to get more demons?" Inuyasha asked. "They'll just be more mouths to feed when we do overthrow them."

"They probably won't serve me in the flesh, but in spirit," Shiro continued. "Now the Reaper thinks that he knows what I'm planning, but in truth, this is only a distraction."

Inuyasha looked confused. Shiro sighed exasperatedly.

"Don't you get it?!" he hissed. "The only one standing in our way is that damn wolf. As long as the power of Death is split between the Reaper and his son, they'll be easy kill in a real fight. But that wolf…." His hands began to tremble in anger.

"There is no way we could defeat Ame so easily," Inuyasha said. "She's an ultimate being."

"That's a lie," Shiro said bluntly. He raised his head with another of his demonic smiles, his red eyes glowing in the dim light. "As it is written in the Book of the Moon, she's the ultimate embodiment of innocence. All I need to do is defile that power, and she will lose her immortality." He let out a short laugh. "Hey, maybe she'll just kill herself! Wouldn't that be easy?"

Inuyasha suddenly felt a bit… guilty? He was just so suddenly aware of how malicious Shiro really was, and that he'd do some pretty bad stuff to Ame just for world domination. Inuyasha shoved that feeling back; he had made his choice to serve the demon lord, and so he shall until the end.

Ame's Training is Going Well; Let's Have a Tournament!

Ame bounded around the training room, shooting bullets and arrows in rapid succession. The bow was horizontal on her shoulders. She nocked an arrow and pulled the string back with the tip of her tail, just as Gekigami did. The arrow flew right between her eyes and hit the last target dead center.

Ame straightened herself and shook her fur out.

"Very nice," Kid praised quietly as he entered the training room.

"That's enough for now," Sid agreed. "You did well today, Ame. I'm proud of you."

He ruffled her hair slightly in reward. He used to do that to Blackstar and figured Ame would appreciate it when she did well. Ame beamed at him.

"Thank you for your time," she said, resuming her human form and lowering her head. "Can I get some lunch now?"

"The cafeteria's open," Sid said, pointing to the door. Ame skipped around them and left without a care in the world, almost like she'd forgotten her encounter with Shiro. "She's done well, Kid. I don't think you have to worry about her holding up against the demon lord any time soon."

"Yes, I can tell," Kid said. "Thanks for taking your time to train her like this."

"No, I don't mind at all," Sid said. "You should reward her; she's done so well."

"There it is," Kid said. "The hamartia. Did Ame bug you about it?"

"She did mention that you're the kind of man that would reward her for things like that," Sid shrugged. Kid twisted his lips into a disgusted grin and wrung his hands in frustration. "Well, if you still want her to practice, we're hosting a paintball tournament this weekend."

"Paintball?" Kid asked.

"Yeah; all the students are coming. I think it'd be fun for Ame, plus it might be fun if you want to."

Kid sighed. It was just too much like his father to hold something as frivolous as a paintball tournament when the Demon Lord was on the loose.

"Sounds good," he said. "When should we be there?"

Kid didn't try explaining paintball to Ame on Saturday, or even tell Ame where they were going. He just told her to come to the school. They arrived at the second campus, where there were plenty of obstructions and a wide range of forest to run and hide. It was the ideal battleground.

The other students were already there, both EAT and NOT students. Miss Marie, Miss Azusa, and Sid were all gathered in the center of the clearing. They would be supervising the event.

"Settle down, students," Sid said calmly. "I think it's time for us to begin."

"Are we all here?" Marie asked. "Okay, whoever's not here, speak up."

There was an awkward silence as the students considered this…

"Seriously?"

"Alright, everyone," Sid decided to take over before anybody said anything else stupid. "Welcome to the summer paintball tournament. Let's just establish something first. You're only allowed to use paint given to your team, no rocks or anything like that. I'm sure some of the older students remember what happened the last time that happened."

…

"So let's not do that this year," Sid said. "Azusa will divide you all into two teams. I'd advise you to stay on your team, but spies will be spies. Just don't do anything reckless, or you'll be disqualified. There will be two rounds today; one this morning, then one this afternoon after lunch. Don't stress about the first round; it's just practice for those who don't know what they're doing."

Maka was able to pretend he wasn't talking about her.

"The second round will be all-out, every man for himself war, understand? Any idiot who's not in the know about the rules by then will be eliminated or used as bait. So, don't be an idiot. Azusa?"

Azusa gave a slight nod and began divvying the teams up evenly.

"So, Ame, do you know what we're doing?" Kid began.

"Yes! I love paintball!" Ame cheered. Kid blinked and shook his head in confusion. That couldn't be right.

"You do?"

"Yeah! I've gotten really good since I took up long-range training."

"Uh-huh," Kid nodded. "Um, Azusa? I have reason to believe that you should put Ame on the team with all the unfortunate kids that don't know how to play."

"Why?" Azusa asked. "Do you think she'll be a good teacher or guardian?"

"Well, sure," Kid lowered his voice slightly. "But she'd destroy them if they were on the other team."

"A legitimate point," Azusa agreed. "I'm dividing it evenly. I'm putting you and Ame on separate teams in the hopes that having one god on each team will keep things even."

"Sounds good," Kid nodded, glancing at Ame. He suddenly feared for his soul.

"So, Maka, I'm surprised you showed up," Ame was speaking with Maka before they were sent to their teams.

"I thought I'd try it," Maka admitted. "Soul had a lot of fun last year. Besides, I know if anything happens, he'll will be on my team to protect me."

Something suddenly snapped inside Ame. Her eye twitched and she held up her thumb and forefinger in the shape of a gun.

"BANG!" she yelled, making several other people turn to stare at her. "Soul Eater has been shot."

Maka suddenly feared for her soul.

Ame regrouped with her assigned team as they were given the designated vests and paint guns. She analyzed her teammates, trying to pinpoint the liabilities. She might as well get used to working with them during the practice round.

"Hey, Ame," Kim greeted with a wave. "Looks like we're on the same team."

"Yeah, that's good," Ame said. "Is Jackie on our team?"

"No, they separated us, which is really too bad," Kim frowned. "What's the deal? I mean, almost everyone else got to stay with their partners."

"Hey, guys," Kilik waved and they waited for him, Ox, and Harvard to catch up.

"Looks like Maka's on the other team, then," Ame said.

"Huh? How do you know that?"

"It was divided equally, so there will be an equal amount of noobs on each side. We were all selected on our strongest suits; Ox has his intelligence, which could be matched by Maka, and Blackstar and Kilik are both at the top athletically. Kid and I are both equal in the sense that we are gods. One of each has been put on each team with their partners to maintain the balance."

"…"

"You've been living with Kid too long," Kim finally uttered in annoyance.

"Is everybody ready?" they heard Sid call over the hill. "It's every man for himself out there!"

"I thought this was a practice round," Ame thought idly.

"Let's go get them," Kilik said, bolting behind one of the obstructions on the battlefield.

Ame waited for the others to join him. Ox and Harvard stayed deep in the trees to avoid getting hit and spot any sneak attacks. Kim moved forward with Ame and hid behind the farthest obstruction down to cover the others.

"Blackstar will come plowing through here any minute," Ame said. "This may just be a practice round, but he'll be easy kill-or-be-killed. Ha."

"Gotcha," Kim nodded. "He'll only be able to hit one of us if we both fire at him, so give it all you got."

"YAHOO!"

"There he is!" Ame shouted, diving out from behind her cover to shoot. As expected, Blackstar went straight for their strongest player, Kilik. Ame shot at Kilik in rapid succession, missing him by an inch and distracting Blackstar for the split-second it took for Kim to shoot at Blackstar. But of course, Blackstar wouldn't be taken out that easily.

"Dang it," Kim said.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Kilik demanded. "Come on!"

Meanwhile, on the other team, Maka had insisted on staying behind to back the others up strategically, but Soul had charged into the battlefield at once. Tsubaki stayed behind to guard Maka, and neither of them was surprised that Crona stayed with them too.

"Why are all the wimps on this team?" Maka asked.

"You're forgetting that Kid and the Thompson sisters are very experienced with guns," Tsubaki said. "And a lot of NOT students were put on the other team. I guess they put us all together to protect Crona."

"Hey, Ame!" Soul called. "Eat this!"

He dodged Ame's shot, shooting in the general area that Ame was moving in. The paint missed her, and Kilik quickly shot at Soul while he was out in the open.

"I'm out," Soul said indifferently. He joined the others on the sidelines.

"I don't know how to handle this," Crona said simply. "I just don't. What if Ame gets us?"

"She's not going to get us," Maka reassured.

"Guess again," Ame's voice sounded from right next to her. She and Ox had sneaked up behind their shelter, and they were pointing guns at both Maka and Tsubaki. Before the others could protest, they fired.

"I guess we're out then," Tsubaki said. Crona was trembling with fear, but Ame gave him a wolfy grin.

"Chill out, Crona," she said. "It's just a game. I'll buy you a juice later."

"Ame," Ox scolded. "You're the most fickle teammate, you know that?"

"It's just a practice game," Ame said defensively.

"Yeah," Ox agreed. "After this round, the real war begins."

BLAM!

Ox and Ame collapsed from the sheer force of the paintballs splattering against their backs.

"Zombie dead," Kid said. "Sorry to one-up you, Ame."

"Then why are you rubbing it in?!" Ame demanded.

"Time's up!" Azusa called. "Round one is over."

Soul Eater

"This is it, guys," Harvard said as they waited in a group in the trees. The second round was about to begin. They were about a mile away from the other team's hideout. The battlefield had spread over the entire campus. There were designated shelters that a team could conquer for a hideout, as well as cases of ammo and other spoils to find and take.

"As soon as they blow that whistle, it's all or nothing," Kilik said.

"We need a real battle plan this time," Kim added. "The last game was child's play. We can't just go rushing in like that, but we can't just wait for them either. The battlefield is larger this time; they'll be able to surround us. We need to have people on all sides. We're playing until the other team gets eliminated, so if we're able to keep and protect even our useless players, we'll win the war."

"Kilik," Ox said. "You're our strongest player. You need to take the lead with the others. Harvard and I will go with you. Ame, form a defensive team to keep the NOT students and Kim safe."

"Why do you think I need saving?" Kim asked.

"Don't worry, my love, I will protect you," Ox told her. Ame put her face in her hand in shame.

Her ears perked as she heard the whistle blow.

"There's the signal," Ox said. "Let's do this."

Ame stood upright and reloaded her gun.

"Let's be bad guys," she said.

"Ame, can you take a safe trip on your own to scout out some supplies?" Ox asked. "Like ammo or some bigger guns? These won't last us for long. You can meet us on the battlefield."

"Got it," Ame nodded.

"I'll go with you," Kim said, raising her gun slightly. "I could get some exercise."

Ame and Kim travelled about three hundred meters from the others before Kim admitted she just wanted to get away from Ox for a while. They searched in silence. Ame decided to take to the trees so she could get a better view on things. She looked around and spotted a group of kids searching near a leaning structure. Ame slid to the ground and tackled Kim down before they could detect them.

"There's a raiding party just ahead," Ame informed quietly. "They're around a shelter, so I think they're the defensive group guarding something."

"Should we fall back?"

"I think we can pick them off, if we're quick," Ame said. "And get in on the goods."

"Okay, let's pillage some things," Kim said, lifting her gun. "I'll sneak in. You try to throw them off in the opposite direction, maybe we could get an edge."

Will our heroes be able to do this? Find out in the next episode!

**I decided to focus on Ame's special training just to get it all on the table for future chapters :) Wouldn't want her getting hurt in another brush-up with the Demon Lord, would we? And I just wanted there to be some normality for everyone given everything that's happening. And I kinda wanted you to forget all about the first important scene. XD**


	30. Chapter 30

Ame took to the trees and jumped from limb to limb, throwing a couple of rocks for some background noise. As expected, the others took the bait and began moving into the sound. Ame signaled for Kim to move in. Ame fired at one of the kids, knocking him in the back. The others began scrambling for the sound, and Ame began darting around in the trees.

"There she is!" one of them shouted. "It's Amaterasu!"

"Crap," Ame muttered. She began running through the trees, heeding the paintballs at her feet, trying to lead them away from the shelter. They shot after her, but didn't move. Ame paused between two trees. Ame caught her breath for a moment.

"They're not going to come away from that shelter," Ame thought. "They're probably leaving me to their offensive team, which will be coming for a re-load any time now. I can't just leave them to find Kim."

Ame turned around and climbed the tree, jumping from limb to limb until she was close enough to shoot accurately. They fired at her, but it was by sheer luck that she was able to shoot another down. However, the branch she was standing on suddenly broke, and she was in the middle of their group, on the ground. They didn't waste a second; they were all shooting, and Ame was frantically dodging. She moved forward and sideways, dodging three pellets. She extended her arm and shot at the person that just shot at her. While her back was partially turned, another player shot.

Ame threw herself back, the pellet just barely missing her chest and hitting the player on the other side of her, and extended her arm to shoot. It was sloppy, but she was still alive. Ame straightened and aimed at the final player of the group.

"It's over now," she said.

"Stop right there," Kim said behind her. Ame froze and turned her head slightly. Kim was aiming her gun at Ame.

"Kim?" Ame glanced at the other player, who Ame was able to recognize now a Jackie, Kim's partner. "I get it. I'll let her go."

"No," Kim said. "I'm joining her team."

Ame was quiet for a minute. "Are you sure?"

"Kim, you don't have to do this for me," Jackie said. "You would betray Ame? You would betray Ox?"

"Why wouldn't I betray him?"

But Kim hesitated.

"I… I didn't mean to betray the DWMA," she said. "The academy is the greatest place I've ever known. I'm sorry, Jackie, but I can't betray them again. Ame gave me another chance."

"Okay, good," Jackie sighed, putting down her gun. "How about I join you guys?"

"You'd do that?" Ame asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It's boring over here. Plus, I have some valuable information that your team could use."

"We'll accept your heinous betrayal and let you join our team," Ame established, lowering her own paint gun and extending a hand. "So, Kim, did you find anything in the shelter?"

"Yeah, apparently this is where they were keeping their loot," Kim said.

"So what should we do with it?" Jackie asked. "Should we take as much as we can or bring your team over here?"

"Is this the only place they've stashed weapons?" Ame asked. It was an obvious question; she was just testing Jackie now.

"This was the small stash," Jackie explained. "There's a really big stash on the other side of the field, so they won't miss these guns that much."

It was settled that they would take the guns and meet the others. Once they returned to their original spot, the others immediately aimed their guns at Jackie.

"Will you relax?" she demanded, particularly of Ox. "I'm on your team."

"Not if I have something to say about it," Ox declared.

"She's on our team," Kim said.

"Okay," Ox lowered his gun and backed away. "Did you find anything?"

"Just some ammo," Ame sighed. "How are you guys doing?"

"We lost a few people; they used up what little ammo we still had, but now that we have this, it's time to stop camping out. We're ready to fight now."

"Good to hear," Ame said, charging in the direction of the gun shots.

Meanwhile, on the other team, Blackstar was taking things a lot more seriously. He'd already eliminated nine of the other team's players alone. He bounded behind the rock that Maka was hiding behind and held out his gun.

"Need more ammo, boss," he said. Maka sighed.

"If you keep burning through it like this, there won't be enough to take down the others."

"They'll be easy kill," he shrugged. "Thanks."

"Hey, Maka," Soul called. "We're running low on players. We need you out here."

"Okay," Maka replied. She put a cartridge in her pocket and moved forward along the rows of rocks. She joined Kid behind one of the obstructions just as he was re-loading.

"Hey," he greeted, rather out of breath.

"Hey," she said.

"So how's it going? Seen Ame around yet?"

"Nope," Maka said. "I have a feeling she'll be showing up soon."

Maka kept as low as she could and shot who she could. She actually thought she was doing pretty well until one mistake.

Just one mistake.

Maka didn't see it happen. She could only hear Crona scream her name. Then she saw. It was Ame, and she had Crona in a headlock, pointing a gun at his head. Kilik and Harvard were covering her.

"Crona!" she shouted, running out in the open to save her friend.

"Maka, don't!" Kid shouted after her.

Ame smiled and, pointing her gun at Maka, pulled the trigger. Maka flinched; she was sure she was going to be hit, until…

"Maka!" Soul shouted, shoving her out of the way. The paint pellet hit his chest sloppily, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Soul!" Maka cried. "Why would you take a bullet for me like that, Soul?!"

Soul weakly opened his eyes. "I'm always willing to die for my meister, Maka…."

"No!" Maka suddenly felt incredible rage as she raised her gun vengefully at Ame. "You monster…."

"Do you really think you can shoot me, Maka?" Ame asked, her voice stone cold. "I can use Crona as a shield, and if you make one wrong move, it's over for both of you."

"Maka, fall back!" Kid ordered. Maka hesitated where she was kneeling on the ground.

"I won't forget this," Maka glowered, getting to her feet and backing away.

"Take him with you," Ame said, shoving Crona at her. "I don't kill children."

With that, she turned and fell back into the trees.

Soul Eater

"How are we doing?" she asked her other teammates.

"Not so good," Kilik replied. "We're out of ammo."

"And we're hungry!" one of the NOT students complained.

"I hear that," Ame nodded. "Whoever's still okay to fight, I can reload your guns. The rest of you can stay behind to rest for a while."

"How can you reload our guns? We have no paint," Ox stated.

"Thanks, Captain State the Obvious," Ame snorted. She knelt on the ground with the gun he handed her and cut her wrist with a small rock. Black blood dripped in thick drops from the wound. After the ink filled the cartridge, it hardened into little black pellets.

"You're using your blood?" Jackie asked.

"Good enough for me," Kim said, handing Ame her gun. "We gotta hit them hard while they're down."

After reloading everyone's guns, however, Ame was a bit feint from anemia. She leaned against a tree so that she wouldn't fall over.

"Ame, are you alright?" Jackie asked.

"Fine," she managed a small smile. "Just a bit tired from all that blood loss."

"You should rest then," Hiro said. "I'll stay behind with you while the others go on ahead. The other team will catch on that it's your ink fairly quickly, but we can't let them know you're down."

"Okay," Ame said, nodding and sitting on the ground.

The others headed forward. They needed to fight the other team.

"Why isn't Ame out here?" Kid wondered as he continued fighting with what remained of his team.

"Kid," Maka reported. "They're cheating; they're using Ame's blood as paint."

"So that's how they want to play," Kid sighed. "Hey, Crona! Get over here, we need you."

"Kid!" Maka scolded.

"It unanimous, then," Kid shrugged. "After all, we're all out of ammo; we don't have a choice."

With a little persuading, he was able to get Crona to cooperate.

"How are the girls doing?" Kid asked absentmindedly as he reloaded the other guns. Maka glanced over the wall they were hiding behind.

"Well, Liz is still alive," Maka said. "And Patti's probably our greatest asset next to Blackstar, at this point…."

"Go ahead and try to avenge Soul," Kid said. Maka looked at him curiously, but he refused to look at her. "I'm curious as to how Ame would react to that."

Maka noticed that there was something off about him. She hadn't really considered it, but were he and Ame having trouble with each other again? Maybe he was just stressed about the Demon Lord. After all, Ame hadn't shown any sign of worry after the attack. Maka pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and began to focus on the game again.

"Ame's back!" Liz shouted.

With that, the war continued. What few players remained fought to the death until the sun started setting. Eventually, even Liz and Patti were taken out. Kid was the only one left. He just kept seeing all of his comrades die out, as if he was the only one who knew how to stay alive. He hated it. But finally, everything was silent. Was he really the only one left? Did he win? No, if that were true, the teachers would have announced it and the game would have ended. Only one person would lie in wait in silence like this.

"Come on out, Ame!" he shouted into the forest. He saw a small, white ear peek out from behind a tree, then her golden eye. She glared at him, and he glared back. He raised his gun and shot at the tree, but she darted out into the open and aimed at him. He kept his gun pointed at her. He let out a laugh. "I knew it would come down to a one-on-one between us. I definitely have more respect for you knowing you had the attention span to come this far."

"Instead of more respect, I would have preferred if you said you fell more in love with me," Ame replied.

"If you're willing to lose, I wouldn't mind," Kid said.

"Usually, I would, but not this time," Ame smirked. Kid raised his eyebrows. "You see, I was thinking, since it's just us, we could have a little punishment game after this."

"I get it," Kid grinned. "So, what did you have in mind?"

"Nothing special," Ame shrugged. "Maybe just a truth or dare scenario."

"And since I have something I need to know, I won't screw around," Kid said. "If you're ready, here I go!"

Ame charged at him. They each ran towards each other and fired one last shot at each other. However, they were both hit at the same time. They both collapsed on the ground from exhaustion, covered in dirt and paint.

"Wait a minute, so who won?" Marie asked.

"Um…" Sid turned to Azusa for an answer. She straightened her glasses.

"Nobody one," she said. "They both died, and there is no one left on either team. This is a war settled without a winner or a loser."

"How disappointing," Kid sighed. Ame got to her feet and shook her sweat-drenched hair out. She took her gun and held a hand out to Kid, who was still on the ground thinking about how useless he was. He looked up at her hand and her stupid smile. He suddenly felt more content than he had in a long time. It was all just a game, in the end. Now he knew why Ame liked games so much; there was so much room for error, but you could always try again later.

He took Ame's hand and got to his feet.

"Let's just… go home," he said at the same time Ame said, "Eat."

**Well, that escalated quickly XD Anyway, this is the second chapter for today, and I think I'm good for now. Send me some feedback telling me how you liked the chapter and I'll have some more chapters up as soon as I can :D**


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